Hello all!
For my true final post, I offer up the Best of Summer '05. Adios summer and adios blogland!
Jessica
Patrick
Dirk
Emily
Claire
Esther
Foley
BC
Scottie
Allison
Clint
Sarah
Bishop
Truth
Lauren
I laughed, I cried, I learned, I hung onto every word. Goodnight, you princes of Maine. You kings of New England.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Thursday, August 11, 2005
My twenty-second year
A Summary:
Yesterday, my mom called to wish me Happy Birthday. She said she was proud of all that I've accomplished this year. She said I should be proud too. She said I've done more things and been to more places at 22 than most people have by the time they're 50. I'm not sure about that, but as I thought about the last year of my life, I had to admit to myself that, at least, it has been an interesting 12 months.
You always hear about how going away to college can be a frightening, confusing experience. I think the real test comes when you're standing at the edge of your educational career with all that you've learned and experienced, and then having to take that next step away from what is comfortable and familiar.
The last year of my life has offered me a glimpse into what my life will be like for many years. There is no doubt that my career has taken a front seat. I'm happy about it. I'm a different person than I was a year ago when I walked the blocks of downtown Erie, PA with a few friends and had my first legal drinks. Since that day I've had six different roommates in five cities in four different states. My bedroom windows have opened to drunk college parties, a forest with a stream, a congested highway, my dog in the backyard and palm trees with exotic birds swaying above sparkling pools. I've made new friends, strengthened previous friendships and watched as others faded away.
I've been to sweaty Congressional steroid hearings, a lavish dinner with the President and cramped Supreme Court cases. I've watched movies with poor, rural families at the local drive-in, explored a treehouse with a lightning victim and went fishing on the Atlantic with inner-city kids. I've interviewed racecar drivers, senators, political refugees, beauty pageant contestants, movie stars, Holocaust survivors and a punk band. I got an email from Clint Black (bad grammar... HA!) I've watched a corpse on a gurney roll across a parking lot, marched and rallied late into the night with right-wing Conservative Christians, joked with Condoleeza Rice while drunk, stayed up all night during a Presidential election and helped an elderly veteran get his rare WWII rifle back from local police.
But there are other things that I remember most — true milestones in my life: walking my mother down the aisle at her wedding, carrying the casket of a close friend, having the first beer with the father I hadn't talked to in two years.
And as a plethora of things have changed, a few things have remained the same and helped me through the tough times: an understanding and supportive girlfriend, my family and close friends, the ol' Silver Bullet with the windows down, a Killians and a Parliament.
This will be the last real post. I'm heading back to East Lansing in a week and I really can't wait to get back into the swing of things, see my friends and family, shotgun a beer on the balcony, write my first State News byline since May 2004 and order up a Rodeo Burger and Blue Moon at the Barrel. It's high time that journalism took a back seat and let other aspects of my life take shotgun. When people have asked me over the last year questions like, "so how was Erie?" or "did you enjoy DC?" the answer has always been just a slight variation of the same statement: "I really loved it, had fun, and met great people. But I still missed home."
Yesterday, my mom called to wish me Happy Birthday. She said she was proud of all that I've accomplished this year. She said I should be proud too. She said I've done more things and been to more places at 22 than most people have by the time they're 50. I'm not sure about that, but as I thought about the last year of my life, I had to admit to myself that, at least, it has been an interesting 12 months.
You always hear about how going away to college can be a frightening, confusing experience. I think the real test comes when you're standing at the edge of your educational career with all that you've learned and experienced, and then having to take that next step away from what is comfortable and familiar.
The last year of my life has offered me a glimpse into what my life will be like for many years. There is no doubt that my career has taken a front seat. I'm happy about it. I'm a different person than I was a year ago when I walked the blocks of downtown Erie, PA with a few friends and had my first legal drinks. Since that day I've had six different roommates in five cities in four different states. My bedroom windows have opened to drunk college parties, a forest with a stream, a congested highway, my dog in the backyard and palm trees with exotic birds swaying above sparkling pools. I've made new friends, strengthened previous friendships and watched as others faded away.
I've been to sweaty Congressional steroid hearings, a lavish dinner with the President and cramped Supreme Court cases. I've watched movies with poor, rural families at the local drive-in, explored a treehouse with a lightning victim and went fishing on the Atlantic with inner-city kids. I've interviewed racecar drivers, senators, political refugees, beauty pageant contestants, movie stars, Holocaust survivors and a punk band. I got an email from Clint Black (bad grammar... HA!) I've watched a corpse on a gurney roll across a parking lot, marched and rallied late into the night with right-wing Conservative Christians, joked with Condoleeza Rice while drunk, stayed up all night during a Presidential election and helped an elderly veteran get his rare WWII rifle back from local police.
But there are other things that I remember most — true milestones in my life: walking my mother down the aisle at her wedding, carrying the casket of a close friend, having the first beer with the father I hadn't talked to in two years.
And as a plethora of things have changed, a few things have remained the same and helped me through the tough times: an understanding and supportive girlfriend, my family and close friends, the ol' Silver Bullet with the windows down, a Killians and a Parliament.
This will be the last real post. I'm heading back to East Lansing in a week and I really can't wait to get back into the swing of things, see my friends and family, shotgun a beer on the balcony, write my first State News byline since May 2004 and order up a Rodeo Burger and Blue Moon at the Barrel. It's high time that journalism took a back seat and let other aspects of my life take shotgun. When people have asked me over the last year questions like, "so how was Erie?" or "did you enjoy DC?" the answer has always been just a slight variation of the same statement: "I really loved it, had fun, and met great people. But I still missed home."
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Five Deep Thoughts
1) There is this Website/blog that compares college football programs to rappers. MSU is up on that. I'll leave it a secret for y'all to find out. I was a little disappointed. I was hoping for someone a bit more thugly because of the recent run-ins with the 5-0. http://tinyurl.com/dqz54. I actually saw it on allmsu.
2) I wrote the centerpiece for today's edition of the post. But in a sort of yin yang, balance of life deal, I was splattered with blood from a king mackerel fish early this morning and it stained by new linen shirt and a nice pair of shorts. I would have been furious, but it was 38-inches long, and you just can't slap around a fish that size.
3) Is anyone else upset at this no-voucher football ticket system they got running these days? If last year's Izzone revamp was like a Civil War-era leg infection, the new football system is the dull hatchet used to lop off gangrenous limb. It's just one more way that I feel personally screwed and personally offended by the powers that be. I hope they repeal this nonsense.
4) I can't wait to get back to East Lansing. It's not that I don't like it here. I love it here. I just miss my friends. I miss cool weather at night. I miss riding my bike around campus. I can't wait for autumn. I can't wait for sweatshirts and jeans on cool, autumn days.
5) I was pleasantly suprised the day the Indian woman at Dunkin Donuts made my coffee without asking me for the first time. After weeks of ordering my coffee the same way — black with two creams on the side — at the same time — 9:45 a.m. —from the same counter — on S. Dixie Highway near the Post— it was just there waiting for me one day. Needless to say, it made my day. That was about two weeks ago. Then it got worse (or better). Last night, I went to the Subway drive-thru (very common in Florida) to order a sub like I've done almost every night for the past 5 or 6 weeks. I keep a pretty constant diet. I try to be simple with food. Anyway, I start my order... "I'll have a 12-inch ham and turkey on honey oat with..." and I pause for just a second. That's when the girl's fuzzy voice finished my order... "with swiss cheese, lettuce, spinach, black pepper and oregano, right?" I was pretty floored. It was also the correct order of my usual request. She didn't say it in the most friendly tone, but I tried to joke about it with her at the window. I said something like,"Wow, you've got a great memory. I feel special." but then she just turned to me and said, with a twinge of disdain, "well you come here every night." So I grabbed the plastic handles of my sub bag and drove away.
2) I wrote the centerpiece for today's edition of the post. But in a sort of yin yang, balance of life deal, I was splattered with blood from a king mackerel fish early this morning and it stained by new linen shirt and a nice pair of shorts. I would have been furious, but it was 38-inches long, and you just can't slap around a fish that size.
3) Is anyone else upset at this no-voucher football ticket system they got running these days? If last year's Izzone revamp was like a Civil War-era leg infection, the new football system is the dull hatchet used to lop off gangrenous limb. It's just one more way that I feel personally screwed and personally offended by the powers that be. I hope they repeal this nonsense.
4) I can't wait to get back to East Lansing. It's not that I don't like it here. I love it here. I just miss my friends. I miss cool weather at night. I miss riding my bike around campus. I can't wait for autumn. I can't wait for sweatshirts and jeans on cool, autumn days.
5) I was pleasantly suprised the day the Indian woman at Dunkin Donuts made my coffee without asking me for the first time. After weeks of ordering my coffee the same way — black with two creams on the side — at the same time — 9:45 a.m. —from the same counter — on S. Dixie Highway near the Post— it was just there waiting for me one day. Needless to say, it made my day. That was about two weeks ago. Then it got worse (or better). Last night, I went to the Subway drive-thru (very common in Florida) to order a sub like I've done almost every night for the past 5 or 6 weeks. I keep a pretty constant diet. I try to be simple with food. Anyway, I start my order... "I'll have a 12-inch ham and turkey on honey oat with..." and I pause for just a second. That's when the girl's fuzzy voice finished my order... "with swiss cheese, lettuce, spinach, black pepper and oregano, right?" I was pretty floored. It was also the correct order of my usual request. She didn't say it in the most friendly tone, but I tried to joke about it with her at the window. I said something like,"Wow, you've got a great memory. I feel special." but then she just turned to me and said, with a twinge of disdain, "well you come here every night." So I grabbed the plastic handles of my sub bag and drove away.
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