Halfway Point

I've finished half of my assignments thus far! yay!

I was lost in a sea of books till around 1:30 at the library with Josh. Poor guy, he was just looking for a place to sleep and I had to drag him to the library for a few hours after the Bux closed. Oh well, I think he didn't care too much.

After a quick viewing of the Arsenal v. Manchester United game, I'll be jumping right back into the fray.

Until then though, I am quite entertained by Liz's constant hormonal rages at the computer she's using to study with. Apparently, "It's not doing what I want it to! I HATE PCs! ARRRGGG!" She then commences to grow mega-buff, green, and then smashes said computer to a million pieces, thus resolving her hatred of PCs.

Unfortunately, only in my imagination would these things happen.

This halfway point is like a small purgatory. I know that on the other end of this tunnel is graduation and a subsequent freedom involved. But, I also have to slave myself into thinking that writing a paper is fun! Geez, the back and forth of a Senior with a horrible case of senioritis!

Sloshing Through the Assignments

I've been getting knee deep into all of my final papers and projects.

- PowerPoint on Jewish views of Genocide/War
- paper on my ethical volunteering
- A Moveable Feast presentation
- The feminist reading of The Sun Also Rises
- The racial criticism of Toni Morrison

All of these things require tons of timing and a sound mind. I've been collecting research on all of these since 10pm last night. While I didn't think that I could push through any of these, they are now becoming more of an easy reality. Since 10am, I have collected tons of books from the library, along with finishing up the PowerPoint. Next stop before the kickers game is to write the paper on volunteering at the Richmond Peace Center, and maybe even start on A Moveable Feast.

It feels rewarding to finally cruise through my work. I needed the focus. Sounds a bit masochist of me, but I enjoy the calm feeling of writing for more than an hour. This is how I know that I want to further my education somehow. Right now it's Law School. Next year? I hope that dream still exists. Who knows though. My bud Rachel Reppert's father has 3 bachelors! That's a feat I would like to have also. I'm just glad to have experienced the whole school thing once in my life. I'm very fortunate, regardless of the exorbitant loans.

I'm rambling again. Time to go back to the books, and write. I know I can do this, I know I can.

Liz: You're going to do your paper extremely well. I know it! You always write superb papers!

Verse of the day for me:

"because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved."
Ephesians 2:4 & 5

It's cool to know that it really is ONLY because of God's grace that I have been saved. Not because of anything I have done. I'm so thankful for that!

One True Sentence

I've been reading Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast partially for pleasure and part for class. That's the beauty of taking a Hemingway/Fitzgerald class; not only do you have to read the novels, but you also have a chance to enjoy them. Each English major has to present to his Seminar class a topic regarding their relative subject (either Hemingway or Fitzgerald).

I decided to talk about A Moveable Feast, because of its relation to the both of them. Sure, it was written by Hemingway. But it is a memoir about his time in the early 20's in Paris, France. In beautiful Paris, Hemingway became a close friend of F. Scott's (however, not so much of Zelda). Allow me to demonstrate:

-Zelda forever deemed Hemingway as "phony as a rubber check". It never really bothered him though, he kept on calling her a hindrance to Fitzgerald's writing and more than likely a closet lesbian.

-Zelda actually got pretty jealous of Scott's friendship with Hemingway. It became so heated that she once told Scott that his "manhood" was too small. Downhearted, he confided in Hemingway. Laughing, Hemingway took Fitzgerald to the Louvre, where they compared the individual statue's pieces to Fitzgerald's word on his size. Apparently, he doesn't have much to worry about.

But I'm not just presenting the story itself, but I'm rather talking about its accuracy. While it is very possible that most of these stories, it is hard to believe they happened they way they are told. Honestly, while Hemingway seems to be a cool guy, he did write these stories over 30 years after they happened. I'd like to know how he remembered them all.

Nonetheless, I learned one of the best hints on writing that I have ever received from this book. Hemingway writes that "All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know". This instruction has become a golden rule for me now. Whenever I sit to write something, I wait for that one true sentence that he talks about. The best place I have found to do this is at my Starbucks. I just linger, listening to the conversations and wait. Once someone says something that seems like an actual true sentence, I'll copy it down and then go from there.

My most recent one that I love is this:

"Are you sure you want to go through with this? I don't find it to be very smart."

Boom. And like that you have something going. The lines already have a life of its own, you just rearrange the furniture, paint the walls and you have a working short story. I love it. And I love Hemingway!

BTW: the man on the left of the picture is Hemingway. He's sitting with most of the people that influenced the characters of The Sun Also Rises.

New Beginnings

I believe in Divine Appointment with everything in me.

Divine Appointment (noun) def: a meeting appointed by God in order to benefit His children. To make a connection on the level of the Holy Spirit through a meeting that can only be explained through God.

(Yeah, I wrote that definition, but it looks pretty professional doesn't it?)

While these things seem to come few and far between for me, I believe that I had one of these Divine Appointments on Saturday. Working at the bux steaming tons and tons of sugar-free, nonfat lattes, I had a chance to talk to another barista from Parkside named Ryan. Obviously, this already throws everyone and their mom off, and even though I'm getting off track from my story, we both act the same in manner of speech and hobbies. We got to talking while I was making drinks, when he mentioned that he was from California. I got pretty excited and mentioned how Liz and I have been dying to go Redding California to worship at Bethel Church. (ok here's where it gets a bit hard to connect, but here we go):

Ryan G: You go to church?

me: Yeah, but the praise and worship is a bit stale. I love the pastors and they're rich in the spirit, but I need a good worship group.

RG: You believe in the gifts of the spirit.

Me: Yeah, I believe it's completely essential as a Christian

RG: You gotta come to my church tomorrow man, you'd love it.

After writing this long and complicated map, I received what really looked like a treasure map on how to reach the church. I gotta say, this church is a 25 minute drive. But wow, it was totally worth it.

When we got there, the floor was completely open for worship. I mean I had 20 feet in front of me to spread my arms wide for God. It was extremely refreshing and exciting to be a part of a church that had people my age in it. I have so much to say about how amazing the church is, but I gotta keep this short. After the service, Ryan invited us to he and his wife (Christa)'s place. When Liz and I arrived at Ryan's house, the place was full of love. Normally, I don't do well in groups where I don't know anyone. However, the place immediately felt open, warm, inviting. You could tell just from walking in that the house was full of LOVE.

Skip hilarious conversations, Ben & Jerry's, and OCD talks.

Yesterday, Ryan and I hung out again for the better part of the night. After praying and being open about our past lives and whatnot, we came upon the struggles of my relationship. I asked him to be my accountability partner. We prayed. I called Liz, and we met up with her back at my place.

After prayer and talking, Ryan really took the reins and became a strong friend and accountability partner. He emphasized the want for the both of us to succeed in our marriage and the necessity on exiting this season with grace and peace in order to walk into our future the same. Hence, Liz and I aren't spending the night together anymore. We want this to work and we want to be held accountable for our actions in a loving, God-centered environment. Ryan and Christa have become that answer. They've opened their hearts and home to us just to see us prosper.

These past few days have become a whirlwind of change for the both of us, and it was all because I mentioned how I wanted to go to California with Liz for our honeymoon. Because of one single conversation, Liz and I are able to retake our relationship into a spirit-filled environment & live in peace; guided by a Godly couple. I now it sounds a bit quick and odd, but it has been only through the power of the Holy Spirit that have I come to this point. Liz and I both asked God and He delivered His answer First Class Express. I'm so thankful for His love and the great friends and future that He provided.

It's the Card That Builds the Man

I've decided to start taking control of what is lain before me, while the whole Law school thing becomes a reality. So in the beginning, there was a prospective business card, and it was somewhat minimalist, but still good:


What do you think? Jenny told me to make it a red card, enlarge the birds and make the lettering/birds white. I think it'll really spice up the card and make it pop even more. The only thing that is definitely changing is the e-mail address; I now have the same e-mail, but in gmail form! I'm doing this for many reasons:

1) The first being that it's a ton easier for when I meet new people to immediately get connected with me without there being any hard, awkward "what was that guy's name again?"

2) Since bagging my first normal/regular writing column, I've decided that I can capitalize on the situation even more by telling my local church or independent newspapers that if they need some extra writing, I'm their man. The card makes me even more official.

3) It looks cool. I mean seriously, how many friends do you know that pulls out a business card and hands it to you in order to hang out the next day:

"Hey man, we should hang out soon!"

I flash out the card and hand him one.

"Yeah man no prob, just e-mail me and we can set something up." [End Scene].

It may sound elitist, but come on! This is a sweet idea!

4) [Bonus!!!] The actual main reason for this is for when I go into interviews (while mid law-school applications) for a cool new job. I'll seem more "professional". Here's to hoping that this works out the way I want it to...

Failing to Look= Pancaked Student

While I'd like to think that the world revolves around me, it most certainly does not. In fact, life tends to have a way of rubbing that fact in quite true.

I am a proud biker. I have all the accoutrement:

1) A Chrome Messenger Bag

2) Built-by-my-own-two-hands Fixed Gear Bicycle

3) Jeans with one of the pant legs rolled up

I am one with the biking culture. In essence, I communicate with the green ideal of riding a bike wayyy before driving my car. However, the one day that I decide to drop Liz off with my VW, I end up almost hitting one of my brethren. While I don't condone idiot driving, and every reader here has heard this line before, it really was NOT my fault. Allow me to illustrate a picture for you:

After dropping off the hotness that is my future bride, I commence to drive down Floyd Ave. Every Richmond-er realizes the potential harm in driving down this street because of the constant flow of students. After passing through the main slew of frenzy that is a rebellious teenager, I came upon a five way stop intersection.

-It became my turn to go.

-I did the whole "I'm going to slowly nudge my car out just to make everyone knows it is my turn" maneuver.

-As I roll steadily forward, a biker (with headphones) screeches in front of my hood, brakes immediately and then commences to tell me to "drive better". I'm sorry dude, I didn't realise that you were coming at 30 miles an hour AND not stop like the 50 other vehicles (yes, you Are considered a vehicle in the state of Virginia).

It just frustrates me when I try to be respectful of the road and the drivers around me when I ride, and I get the short end of the stick when I'm on the other side. Reasons like this are why people tend to treat bikers like trash regardless of how they treat the road.

I just wish I could talk to the guy in a respectful manner and try to see his logic. I'm not even mad, I just need perspective.

Have No Fear!

It feels wonderful to know that amidst the storm, everything will be OK.

-Tests/papers will be finished, and there will be no more of them for another year!

-I will work for Starbucks for the next year as a Shift Supervisor. I know, kinda crappy, but I am still pursuing the whole Law school dream!

-I am also doing some freelance writing for any newspaper that wants me to write for them! As of now, I am a writer for the Richmond Peace Education Center. Hopefully, I can add to my portfolio and make it even more marketable. While this just seems like a hobby, it will be nice to make some side cash on it someday. Right now though, it is just a way to keep my writing to its fullest potential.

-While I don't know where Liz and I will be living in the DC area, I do know that it will be wonderfully decorated. Plus, can you say "Liz and Ryan food specials"?

These things become both a bit scary and extremely exciting. I find it amazing how easy life can be once you give all of your stresses to God, and know that whatever happens during the next year, I don't have to fear because of Jeremiah 29:11. I'll stand on that, rather than holding on to my apprehensions, any day.

My life has become this really crummy "Super-Hero Situation". Do you remember the cartoons from the fifties, or the Superman comic books? You always had some huge problem, like a villain bringing havoc to the Metropolitan Bank. He would walk in, yell some horribly written line "Everyone on the ground, and nobody gets hurt!", and then the people would panic. Chaos ensues, and then from the bottom left-hand corner of the comic panel, a woman in distress yells the ever-famous line: "What are we to do?!".

BAM!

Out of nowhere comes some spandex-laden Super-Hero to the rescue. Cue the smoke. Cue the thankful looks from the victim's faces. Tears fall. Then comes his repetitive line: "Have no fear! [insert crappy Super Hero name here, like FlyBoy] is here!"

Fight follows, with the Super Hero victorious and the villain tied up with a rope coil that wasn't anywhere in the vicinity 20 minutes ago.

"My Hero!" Cue a kiss, key to the city, etc...

This type of constant, over-used story is reminiscent of what God does for every time I feel that I can't handle the current situation anymore. Oddly enough, that crappy song "Jesus Take the Wheel" becomes pertinent to my musing. Nonetheless, Jesus is my superhero, and I can sometimes be that whiny guy cowering on the floor waiting for Him to come, which He always had. And when He hasn't, it has been so I can learn something, and then I grow stronger. The metaphors are getting tangled together, so I'll stop here.

We Few, We Happy Few!

Today in my Shakespeare class, we went over Henry V. This is pretty much the most manly of all Shakespeare plays that I have read so far.

I only wish that young boys were introduced to it in High School, rather than Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet. This play has youthful frivolity, French mockery, the Battle of Agincourt, and a true sense of Honor! Seriously, these themes are the types that every guy in my neighborhood wanted to emulate when we were playing in the streets.

Many people recognize the speech that King Henry gives dubbed the St. Crispin speech. You know, the one where he says "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers." Its intention was to rouse the English who were outnumbered and technologically at a disadvantage. Shakespeare seems to posit the belief that it was King Harry's ability to spurn on the men of England to fight that allowed them to win the battle of Agincourt. However, in a historical perspective, it was because every Frenchman wanted a piece of the English and got tangled up in a muddy mess in the middle of the field. What would one do during the Middle Ages if you saw that happen? Shoot a storm of arrows over, and over, and over again. It never ceased to amaze me just how easily the French could have won this battle had they had the discipline that the English did.

Speaking of the Battle of Agincourt, did you know that this is where we get the lore of the beloved "middle finger" manoeuvre? In order to keep the French from using their archers ever again, the English cut their precious middle fingers off (the finger that is crucial in pulling the bowstrings). So as a sign that they still had theirs, the Brits would flick off the French as a form of bragging. Pretty cool, huh?

The Lord is Risen!

I have always loved Easter. Now that Christ is fully involved in my life, I feel that it is even more pertinent to enjoy the holiday.

I'm sitting on my back porch with Liz eating my Turkey burger creation (Soy sauce, ground Turkey, Gorgonzola cheese) and reading Archbishop Desmond Tutu's No Future Without Forgiveness. Now that I have completed my paper on they guy, I have sooo much to say about how phenomenal this guy has become. He became the head for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; a sort of court-like atmosphere for victims of apartheid. The way Tutu describes it is imagine you were the family member of someone who was raped and then killed during the time of apartheid, without there being any justice. You now, after the shedding of the old South African government, had the chance to bring your case to the courts and talk of your suffering and injustice. The perpetrators would come and share their part of their story. So far, it sounds like a normal would-be court situation. However, the kicker is that the victims or the victim's family had the chance to publicly forgive their attackers and give them absolution!

This action has had huge impact on how quickly the past wounds of South Africa have been healed. Only through the teachings of Christ could something like this happened, and I feel that it is fully blessed and beautiful. About a year ago in my South African history class, I had the opportunity to see some recorded trials, and their after effects. A man tried for beating three blacks during a raid, sought out the three families and asked for forgiveness and peace. Not only did the family forgive him, they witnessed to him and he accepted Christ on the spot! Now, he lives next door to the family and helps cook during holidays! Phenomenal! I mean, wow!

Thumbs up South Africa for such a cool idea!

Back to my Easter musings (I tend to go off the track sometimes). Walking home I got to pass over 20 Dogwoods! I love these trees, and every time I think about them (and Grandaddy) I can't help but think that every house I own WILL have one of these trees in the front yard. They're not just gorgeous, but the spring wouldn't be the same for me without them. This Easter marks the first time I have celebrated a holiday without any member of my family (except for Liz). While I love my family and am a huge family type of guy, it was kinda nice. I was able to go to church with Liz and now relax to the sounds of amazing praise and worship. I think people take advantage of this holiday to make it a Diet Coke version of Christmas without looking toward the true reason for this:

Yes, Christ did get crucified on a cross on Golgotha hill. And yes, he did rise from the grave three days later. I believe that with everything in me, and it amazes me that people have been killed because of one simple belief. I guess some things just can't be fathomed easily.

But I'm thankful for the victory that was achieved on the cross, and today is the perfect day to be reminded how beautiful His creation is.

The Things that Remind Me of You!

While watching this bunch of people throw random crap and try to take pictures of it, I'll write about my favorite time of the year: Spring!

I totally love this time of year, where the flowers are the most beautiful and when the wind blows it isn't biting at all. The Dogwood trees in front of my place are in full bloom and I can't help but think of Granddaddy whenever I see them. He always had Dogwood saplings randomly growing in his yard somewhere, so I always had one wherever I lived (granted that has only been two places, but still). I recently visited the trailer park where I used to live and found the proud Dogwood at over 20 feet tall acting as a giant over the home of my childhood. Unfortunately, the one from the house of my adolescence was taken out by hurricane Isabel. Now, wherever I am, I tend to find them and think of my Grandfather holding my chin, giggling it just a bit and making the coolest Donald Duck voice as he did it. I miss the guy, I hope he's doing alright in heaven.

Actually, come to think of it, many random things make me think of certain people for legitimate reasons...

Cardinals and Blue Jays: Grandma Matthews, because she loves birds and these two are everywhere in her backyard. Plus, everywhere perfectly placed throughout her house. But I think they also represent her personality: an air of regal-ness and a sense of a free spirit. Also Milanos, because she still gives me a pack whenever I come to visit her.

McDonald's Chicken McNuggets: Melinda, because of the first time I met her, we connected over our favorite thing from McDonald's. She could have said anything else, and it wouldn't have mattered, but the fact that we shared a weird taste bud, made me very happy. I can't help but get some and think of her when I do.

Books in general: My mother of course. At a very early age, she has always encouraged me to free myself from the rainy day and go to a different world. I blame her for my broad imagination, child-like nature, and my English degree that I'm about to receive.

Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies and Libraries: Grandma Hollabaugh. She used to put the cookies in the freezer and share a sleeve of them with me and a tall glass of milk. Those were great times. When I got a bit older and I helped her babysit, we used to go to the library ALL the time. It was here that I learned that you didn't have to pay to read a book, that there were places that loaned them out for free! Plus, they had really cool documentaries (I recommend Bill Nye the Science Guy).

Rivers, Daisies, Finding Nemo & Kaleidoscopes: My Liz. I chose rivers because the first time I took her hiking, we forded a nice size river 8 times going to the campsite and 8 times coming back. It was March, the river was deep, and the river was 45 degrees. This equals a not so happy Liz, but an extremely cool story. Daisies and Finding Nemo, because these are her favorite flowers and movie, respectively. There's not a week that goes by that we don't talk in whale speak, or act like Crush the Turtle. And finally, I chose kaleidoscopes because of her "favorite gift". When we first started dating, we were walking around the Barnes and Noble when I handed her a small brass kaleidoscope. I told her it was hers because she was a dreamer and this would help her dream more. Needless to say, even after her handmade engagement ring, she still thinks the kaleidoscope is her fave gift. I love her, because she loves the small things in our life together.

Hemingway & Submarines: My Grandpa Hollabaugh. In most of his pictures from his final years in the Navy, I can't help but think of the sheer correlation you can make in look between him and Ernest Hemingway. It's uncanny. I also think of him when I see pics of subs, because of his cool stories of being a sonar in the Navy. He's a cool G-pa, and he's where I think I get my sarcasm from.

Chess: I think of my Dad whenever I play a chess game or when I see a cool handmade chess set. I remember times when I was a kid, when all Dad and I would do would be play Chess on his hand carved set. It didn't matter who won; we would always reset the pieces and start over again and again. It was kinda cool to see me slowly start to be beat him more and more as I got older. The things I learned playing chess and the things I learned from Dad while playing Chess have helped me in life tremendously. I now can no longer make a decision without playing different results in my head quickly. Plus, since I've been working on this whole Lawyer ordeal, the game helps with my logic. I can't stop playing it online!

There are many things that remind me of certain people. I'll probably end up writing others as the year progresses, but right now, this blog is already 10 times longer than I expected! Oh well, this is an easy way for people to know that I sometimes remember some of the smallest details of my life with them. I love you all so very much!

Conquering Dirtied Lands

After a long and arduous journey, I have officially cleaned Liz's room.

Seriously, it was like a dungeon during the time of the Black Death. Sifting through her piles of clean clothes, balled up kleenex, and discarded receipts, I became afraid that there would a monster lurking in her room. I'm thinking of something that was a cross breed. A mut that was part monster from "Where the Wilds Things Are" and part sea creature from that dumpster in "Star Wars".

I am Sir Gawain, conquering the Green Knight, whilst vanquishing the town's pilfered clothing that can stand on their own.

I am, in essence, rescuing Liz from a frightful welcome when she hits her bedroom and recognizing the mess she had when she left. I wouldn't want to come home to a dirty bedroom, so I helped her.

Really, to give her credit it wasn't all that dirty. I just like to fabricate these really cool images in my head in order to make the task go by quicker. For example, when I spray the windows with glass cleaner, it isn't just Windex, but a Clint Eastwood-esque moment where I draw my revolver in a stand-off. I know I sound like a weirdo, but Liz and I like to dream and it keeps me in a optomistic mood. Because of this, I think I'll keep it going. After all, to live like Peter Pan, you're not allowed to grow up. Ever.

I miss London. I miss Kensington Gardens (which we didn't get to see, but will next time [hopefully April of next year]). I miss Liz. And I miss Fruit Stripe bubble gum.

Oh well time to write for Environmental History of South Africa, run a bit outside, and then chill watching "The Last Call": a movie (with Nev Campbell) about the final years of F. Scott Fitzgerald's life. Dr. Mangum is letting me borrow it; here's to hoping it is worth it!

Be the Good Samaritan, Ryan!

I love being that person that can help others in need, and it hurts me when I feel like I can help, but am unable to do so. Today, I have had an example of each.

First, the example of where I could have helped someone, but through means uncontrollable by me, was unable!

My bud, Josh forgot his work clothes back in Midlothian (about a 25 minute drive from our work). All he needed was a friend to loan him a pair of khakis and a black polo. Result: he asked his best friend closest to his work. Problem: all of my work clothes were dirty and were waiting to be washed. Josh apparently didn't care too much and was willing to wear clothes that I had sweat in during the past week, but I couldn't bring myself to help the poor guy. I mean, I wanted to but I needed to wash these things, and there were others he could grab clothes from. His final solution came from another friend of ours, Drew who is of a different build than Josh. Where josh is a 32 waist (like me), Drew is a 36. I'm going to guess because he has birthing hips. When I got to the Starbucks to study, Josh looked like he was preparing to go to the Renaissance Fair. It was a fun spectacle to watch.

Second situation was one where I could help out, and that was for my Liz!

Liz is having a tough time up in Massachusetts. She's getting past hurts thrown at her from the court case and there isn't much time for her to do the homework she needs to finish. Take those things and add a cup of hormones and you have one REALLY stressed out Liz. What could I do to help her? First she asked me to pick up some books for her for her long paper she has to write. The biggest problem with this was that the books were located on the OTHER campus, that requires a longer drive and a parking garage fee. Thankfully enough, God blessed me with a grace period where I didn't have to pay the parking fee and all of the books were there waiting for me! Now, I'm going to go through them with a fine tooth comb and sticky-note good passages for her to use. This won't take much time for me, but will be a tremendous help for her. I'm glad to do it for you, honey!

Now, I have to brainstorm ideas to help her even more. I wish I could fly to Massachusetts and just hold the poor girl and let her know that God and I both love her dearly.

(Liz don't read this next part!)
I definately am going to clean her room so she can study better when she gets home. She kinda doesn't want me to do it, because I already have a busy lifestyle as it is and some of her papers need to be kept. No worries though, I have a plan for that too!

Time for more LSAT practice, which I'm starting to get the hang of, a late night run, more studying on Liz's part, and then a deeeeeep slumber.

Eyes to the Sky...or Mountains?

Oddly enough, I never thought that Liz being in Massachusetts would have affected me in the way it has. I miss her laugh and her even being annoyed at me! It seems that I really didn't realize that I would miss her this much until she was already gone. That's ok though, because I'll be the first one she sees when she steps off of her plane.

I guess it's the radio silence that is theme of her trip. Not like she's incognito or anything, but she has a ton on her plate at the moment. She's a witness in a very important case AND she needs to complete homework when not in the courtroom. Plus, I have some papers to start on and have chores to finish. Hence, it was a mutual agreement to talk the very least on the phone for us to accomplish the things that we neded to get done.

The coolest thing about this time away is that I get to do one of my favorite things this week! I get to take all of my camping gear out of storage. I'll lay them all over the floor in a chaotic/organized fashion and decide what needs repair, what needs to be replaced, and what is still going strong. I tend to keep my stuff in good shape so it shouldn't take long, but I love playing with all the cool hiking gizmos I've collected over the past three years.

It'll be great to get back on the trail and just get going. I've always found the hardest part is actually getting out the door and just going. Once that happens, it really isn't all that bad to hike even when it is raining. The views especially make everything else worthwhile! They can really make the 5 miles you trek through fly infested forest seem like just an easy stroll.

I just hope that most of the melted mountain water has fully passed if I take the usual routes. I don't feel like fording a river seven time that is 20 feet across and 40 degrees! It'll be nice to finally find some complete solace where there are no cellphones, Starbucks, or grad school denial letters.

Generalizations of American Culture

If I were an Anthropologist, and wanted to see the best/worst of what humanity has to offer, I think I would go no further than a bar. Especially the ones here in Richmond. I mean honestly, how does such a thriving cultural center go overlooked by these scientists?

There are certain things that you can focus on in order to focus on mankind in general:

1. the "Bro"s
Look for these guys by their overuse of cheap cologne and flipped polo collars. They'll almost always order a Coors light and insist that it's one of the best beers America has to offer (Seriously?!). After a few of their beers and continuous shots of cheap liquor, they'll commence to do more homoerotic things to their guy friends as a joke. However, it more than often comes off a sort of closet homosexual ritual. In Richmond, these creeps usually tend to travel over 10 miles with ten of their friends from their cheaper apartment in the West End to come here in order to pick up their biggest fantasy: the art-chick.

2. The Art-chick
The main target for people that come to a Richmond bar, that don't live here. These women primarily give the I-don't-care attitude. They'll smoke cigarettes (preferable Camels) in the corners and may allow another guy hit on them if the air is right. However, don't be smug about their casual nature. They all have some sort of odd thing going on in their life, whether it be that they're habitual heroin users or they have a cookie jar collection back at their apartment. I'm so glad I snagged Liz before she went this route!

3. The Scenesters
These are the guys that I hang with mostly. You can find them by their overlarge Chrome messenger bags and their high cut dickey's jeans/converted shorts. The will almost certainly drink PBR (Pabst blue RICHMOND!) and bring up the three no-nos in drinking conversations:
a.Religion
b.politics
c. insert any random/possibly hurtful generalization
However, most are good-natured and have a quiet disposition.

4. The Ditzes
These women are the typical "Whooo!" girl. If you want to see them in their primal instincts find these when they're at a table with their closest friends and one of them just broke up with her boyfriend. They'll almost ever look for a guy when this occurs ("No guys tonight! I just want to be with my girls!"). If studying these creatures, I recommend earplugs. At every overplayed song on the radio, they will commence to scream joy and then commence to botch up the lyrics while drunkenly dance all over their fellow girlfriends.

These people make bars that much more interesting when I go to one. I immediately ignore the price of a vodka and tonic when I get to see America at its finest. The sad thing is, if anyone has been to a bar recently they know the types of people I'm talking about.

These are the Dreamakers

Ah that complete sleep!

I must have slept for a good 8 hours, and man it was perfect. I haven't had a sleep like it since I moved to Richmond. Imagine waking up with drool all over the place, the warm sun filling your room, and your two roommates saying we snagged tickets to go see U2 for extremely cheap! Whoa, that is a great way to wake up. I know I just mentioned how I came out of my slumber, but it essential to wake up well in order to complete a great round of Z's. So now allow me to work myself backwards from the best sleep of my life.

A perfect sleep wouldn't be replete without DREAMS! And these two my friends were my favorite kinds: lucid and two different ones.

Dream1.- I found out that I was the son of Barack Obama, and seeing as he only has two daughters, I became this son that he needed to catch up with. So we did all sorts of odd things you could only do as a first kid: paintball on the White House lawn with the secret service, fishing in the Potomac, and even heli-ski! It was awesome! I remember at one point being at the mall with the President, when this occurred:

Bunch of girls: "OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD!"

Mr. Obama shrugs his shoulders
O: This happens sometimes.

Me: Are you sure? I don't think many young kids know much about our government.

girls: Hannah Montana! I can't BELIEVE IT!

O: I can't believe it?!

M: These things happen in America. You should know this by now...


Dream 2:

Imagine, if you will, a zombie holocaust where everything is overrun by odd looking zombies. Of course they will eat any living flesh, but just like my video game "Left 4 Dead" they have mysteriously evolved into something even more weird! They have this one zombie with huge orange-y eyes that are used as detectors. If it finds you running around, it'll scream and alert all the other zombies in the area. The first time I encountered one in this dream I lit it on fire and then made a flaming wall to ward off the attack. As I simultaneously spat at the zombies AND in real life, Adam wakes me with a knock, "Hey man, we need to talk".

That's right, I hung out with Mr. Obama, killed a zombie horde and was then told that I got a ticket to go see Bono, the Edge, and the other two guys (I don't think they have as cool nicknames)! U2 is coming to Charlottesville (of all places) a week and two days before my wedding so everything evens out so well! I'm so pumped!

Oh that Starbucks!

Today I opened the River Road Starbucks for my Liz. She's so sweet, but I felt that she was working too hard in her classes to fail because of her constant opening shifts. I worked until 10, where she came in and finished the shift (seeing as I am now sitting in my Shakespeare class talking about Falstaff in Henry 4th part 1, instead of aerating milk).

I forgot how fun an open can be. I'm one of those guys that people hate in the mornings: once I wake up, I'm fully ready to embrace the day. I work on my own energy (until the Iced Coffee is prepped) and then I just keep on moving. Plus, the shifts in the morning go by quicker because there's always a customer and so you don't stop moving. I LOVE it!

The River Road Starbucks where Liz works is a polar opposite of the one that I work at. Funny how these things happen. Liz's Bux has the rich elitist culture of Richmond. They know what they want (almost ALWAYS some complicated drink of nothingness [decaf, sugar-free, & nonfat]) and theywant it NOW! No putting it off, if it comes out after two minutes have past, they think for some odd reason that the drink is "cold" and must be "remade immediately, because I have somewhere important to go". Thanks buddy, you basically told me that where I work is not an important place. Wow, I feel like a plebian...

My store however is somewhat bohemian. Mostly everyone owns a Mac, rides their bike, lives in the Fan, and has some job with a non-profit organization (my type of people). They also resemble more of what I think America is: a hodgepodge of cultures. I have, so far, learned how to say hello, goodbye, and thank you in over 7 different languages and it's still rising thanks to our customers. If the drink is different, it's "no worries" and a kind "take your time". I love them, and I tend to be reminded of how cool they are based on working at Liz's store.

Hometeam tonight for the US national soccer game and then many, many, many hours of sleep to recuperate.