I Miss Her From Across The Sea

So many great things have been happening lately! I was able to go home this weekend and hang out with my NCC peeps! I went to a hella tight concert featuring Josh Garrels. Awesome, awesome. Did some karaoke with Sean at Cheeseburger In Paradise. I tried this drink while I was there called a Montserrat Volcano. VERY GOOD. Girly, but good. Pineapple-y. On Friday, Sean, Lindsey, and I hit up the bars in downtown Naperville. We ran into this guy we all knew from high school and church. It was fun. I tried Estella for the first time.

Saturday was frickin' awesome. It had a rocky start, but ended up being SO much fun. The plan was to go to Chicago and hit up the bar scene there. Well, Lindsey locked her keys in her car when she got to my house to pick me up. Hilarious. The car was still running. AAA dudes came and unlocked it. It was funny. Then, we had all this trouble trying to meet up with Sean in Chi-town because he was already there waiting for us. We had him get on the wrong train and so it took him forever to get to Lindsey's sister's apartment, where we were supposed to meet. Finally, we meet Sean and go to some bars. Lindsey and I pregamed with a little Corona Light action. I tried a cosmo for the first time (2 actually!). It was bueno! And quite full of alcohol I must say! At the second bar, I tried a Blue Moon. Not bad, not bad. At the third bar, we all got Long Island Iced Teas. They were good. And, of course, pretty much all alcohol. We hailed a cab and went to Jewel to buy more drinks and some food, but they had stopped selling alcohol. Instead, we just bought pizzas and a cheesecake (random) and went back to the apartment. I ate almost an entire pizza myself. Then, I passed out on the couch. Very fun night. Yeah, we were drunk, but we were all of age, and we were all safe. I got to try some new things too.

I really miss Katie. I know that's a big AWWWWWW thing to say, but it's true. Additionally, I think my situation is different than most people who are missing their girlfriend. Most times, when someone is missing their significant other...it's because they haven't seen them in, say, two weeks. That's different than 4 months. And I can't talk to her on the phone at any time. And I can't go visit her on a whim. Why do I have to justify this? I miss her. Period. I'm being weird.

In other news, ISU continues to ROCK! Seriously, I am having such a good time. I met some really nice people in choir today. I'm going to start having dinner with them every Monday and Wednesday. And this guy who lives on my floor is a Christian, and he plays guitar, and we know like all the same songs. So, once his broken arm heals up, we're going to JAM! Okay, peace out, yo.

This Is The Ant That Will Take Over The World

When you're the new guy, everyone is looking at you. Who are you? What is your deal? And it's not like it's a big deal, but it's true. People are trying to get a feel for who you are. And so I'm having to do like this two week-long stretch of "first impression making". I'm okay with it though. I knew what I was getting into when I decided to transfer. Everything is fresh and new here. In the middle of my day I am wide-eyed with expectation. In a place so big, with opportunities so vast, I feel like an ant that could take over the world. Not "take over the world" in a bad way. More like..."take hold of the world".

I can't lose sight of the things that brought me here. I can't forget my past experiences and what they have taught me. Above all, I must continue to think about things from a Biblical standpoint.

And I like cheese. Teh End.

Give Your Favorite Skyscraper A Hug

I love Watterson Towers. Now, I understand that some former and current residents of Watterson have their qualms with the way things are run. However, having come from a very small school, there's no one who appreciates a living situation like Watterson more than me. And when you get right up next to it, it looks like a freakin' SKYSCRAPER! And so, with love in my heart, I will give Watterson a giant hug. Why? Because I loves it! And I loves the people in it! All 3 gabillion of thems!

So far, ISU has been amazing. Perhaps I haven't quite established a large network of friends with whom I can hang out, but the friends I have made are AWESOME! Shouts out to my roomie, Joe, and fellow suitemates! We are BAMFs! And can I just say that the food here at ISU is sooooo good! I am going to get fat. I kid you not. Fatness. All my meal plan dollars will be gone by Week 5. That's my prediction. Week 5. I would like to bring special attention to ISU's salad bar.

If you know me well, you know that I had always hated salads until just recently. Now, I eat salads all the time. And, thanks in part to ISU's SCRUMPTIOUS SALAD BAR I will be eating healthier on a daily basis....And spending about $2.29 more every time I eat lunch or dinner in the food court.

Okay, enough surface-level blithering. Here's my tasty, insightful nugget for the day. Never go to a nude beach if the water's too cold.

I will leave you with that.

The Internet Is For Porn....JK

Yep, the first round of homesickness has officially set in. I miss my family. I miss Sean. I miss NCC and all my NCC friends. I miss my girlfriend. I miss my guitar. I miss my bed at home. I miss my blue car. I miss my Xbox....Okay, that last one was kind of ridiculous. What I really meant was "I miss Halo 2."

In all seriousness though, I am truly feeling homesick. Perhaps I'm not sobbing in the corner, rocking back and forth in a fetal position, but I am kind of feeling down. I just need to keep things in perspective. This is my first full weekend at ISU. It's okay that I don't have 5000 friends at this point. Besides, I've spent every night this week going out to different places with new people. I've made a point to be even more social than I am regularly. And I've done a great job. Additionally, having nothing to do leaves plenty of time for me to "permanently borrow" music from people on the network. :-D

In local news, I love the musical "Avenue Q"! It is hilarious! Funniest musical ever. Hands down. It's done using "Sesame Street"-esque puppets. In fact, it's essentially a parody of Sesame Street that describes the lives of several young, twentysomethings and thirtysomethings that are fresh out of college and trying to find their places in the "real world". Lots of adult topics related to sex, sexuality, internet porn, racism, and one-night stands are addressed in hilarious fashion. I laugh out loud simply when listening to the soundtrack. Go to www.avenueq.com. Watch the video clips. Peace, I'm out.

Fresh Start...What What

For the past year and a half, I feel like I haven't quite been myself. I know that's a pretty big statement to make, but I think that it's true to some degree. And I just kind of had this epiphany tonight while I was reading the newspaper in the bathroom. Glamorous, huh? Anyway, I think that somewhere in the awful year that was 2004 an important part of myself got lost. Maybe I lost it. I'm just sitting on the john reading tonight and I come across this article. It's about this 21 year-old guy named Josh who has a blog not unlike this one. However, about 5,000 people visit his blog daily. The whole crux of the blog is that people want to know what Josh thinks is "cool" or "hip" or "trendy". And as I'm reading this article, a multitude of thoughts are going through my head. Thoughts like, "How does someone like Josh get all that attention...not to mention business?" or "Why should this guy be the only one who is making a killing at such a young age?" or "Why can't I come up with an idea that big?" Upon turning inward, I found that I lost the part of me that is driven. It's the part of me that "does" without someone telling him to. It's the same part of me that allowed me to 1) Learn HTML and start a website when I was 13. 2) Educate myself about MIDI and write songs when I was 13. 3) Join my high school's Speech Team at age 15. And the list goes on. Essentially, I'm wondering why I'm not driven to do things that are borderline outlandish. Things no one tells me I "ought" to do, but I do them anyway. This must be the first thing I accomplish upon moving to Illinois State--I must reawaken this part of me by becoming so assertive that I even surprise myself. I'm going to seek out professors. I'm going to purposefully seek out friends. I'm going to see to it that I keep busy with things that are my own. Things beyond classes, homework, and the whole "stuff they make you do" area. I want to make a name for myself on campus. I don't care that ISU is huge. I want a rep. I will pry, pound, and pull to get what I want. I chose ISU in part because I wanted a fresh start. And I intend to have the best start anyone has ever seen.

"Sail On" by Rob Micensky

Jilted from your calming grasp
I had nothing left to clasp
I have drowned, I've cried a sea
Sail on now away from me

What new pleasures I behold
Beneath tears now stale and cold
I thought death would soon resound
But down here no pain is found

Oh sail on, oh sail on
Heed your northern star
And find a land so rich and grand
I care not where you are
Oh sail on, oh sail on
But know the reason why
I rest beneath my guilt so deep
Until I drink it dry.

In your absence I did meet
One so lovely and so sweet
Wounds be damned, but salty be
This ocean of irony.

Fortune sways and swells like surf
And bellows deep into the earth
Fate lies shadowed in the moon
But for now I toil and swoon