Late Nights, Street Lights: Chronicles of a Night Owl

The End

2013-07-03T03:06:00.000-05:00

At this moment in my life, I am working, enjoying summer, and preparing to go back to school after a long year and a half. That year and a half not only left me drained, stuck in a rut creatively and intellectually, but it has given me so much motivation to go back to school and be the best Cobber I can be. At this moment, I am a content little Cobber.

Roughly three years ago, I was a little Freshman at Concordia College. I started this blog as just a way to document my random thoughts, vent, and basically whatever I wanted to write about. As the months wore on, I began to grow lazy about regular, or even semi-regular, posts. In fact, my last post was about seven months ago. Seven. I also started this blog because everyone seems to start one when they get to college and I jumped on that bandwagon.

Since it has been so long since I've posted, I've decided I'm going to archive this entire blog; it will still exist here in cyberspace for anyone to come back and explore the past. Thank you all for putting up with the silliness that spews out of my mind and enjoying this trip. I have some bits and pieces of posts just waiting to be finished, so those will be added to my new blog, over on WordPress

It's time for me to move on to a new adventure somewhere else and if you care to follow, I would love the traveling companions.

Again, thanks for taking this ride with me.

For the final time here, g'night and sleep tight.

Angst

2012-12-13T02:54:00.001-06:00

I've been unusually angsty, for lack of a better word, the past few days. And I have no reason to be. Everything in my life is going pretty well. I have a job, a house, great friends, a relationship, I'm not dying, I have white male privilege; I have no legitimate reason to be in such a down mood.

I just don't know why I'm so upset and stuck inside my head. But I guess this is nothing new for me. I tend to slip into this kind of mood where nothing can cheer me up regardless of how well things in my life are going frequently.

I literally just rolled my eyes at myself for this blog post and I'm only two paragraphs and an image in. I swear I'm not seeking attention. Just need to express some thoughts.

A good friend of mine tells me I brood too much. Especially if I'm left alone for too long and/or spend too much time inside (alone). I don't mean to . . . I'm not even aware I'm doing it. And I suppose it's true. However, I don't know if this is just a me thing or if everyone's the same way. So maybe I'm just being a normal human being.

Or I'm not.

My sleep doctor doesn't seem to think this is normal. At my last appointment with her, I mentioned how I tend to be on edge, anxious, or feeling some other strong emotion, generally without any obvious reason, and she decided to send me to a mental health specialist. Just to see if there is something deeper going on inside my head that messes with my already weird sleep cycle.

So, next month (it should have been today but was rescheduled by the doctor) I'll visit with some doctor who will probably ask me a bunch of questions and based of off my answers may or may not diagnose me with some mood disorder. I'll be sure to keep you all updated.

Or not. Depending on what the diagnosis is, if any. Which I'm fairly certain there is something going on, just not sure what, because people just aren't as whatever it is I am.

So yeah, I'm feeling angsty, I'm not sure why, I would like it to stop, and that's basically about it.

Until next time, g'night and sleep tight.

Dreams, Again

2012-12-09T00:50:00.001-06:00

I've been remembering an unusual amount of dreams lately. I have no idea why or how. From everything I've heard about dreams, you forget ninety percent of them within ten minutes of waking up or something like that (this is a blog, not a research paper).

And a majority of those dreams are incredibly violent and graphic. And I'm not sure whether I should be concerned or not.

The first memorable dream I'm putting into this group actually happened during this summer. I remember a large chunk of what happened, roughly six months later. I was kidnapped and held hostage by this couple who wanted to hold me hostage for some random reason. It was in a very, very nice mansion with many, many rooms and the couple was clearly wealthy. I somehow managed to escape, met up with a friend, possibly at random, tried to return home, but the best laid plans of mice and men. I was captured again. I'm pretty sure my friend was killed for trying to help me get home.

At some point, my mom managed to figure out where I was and came to my rescue. She got into a physical altercation with the couple holding me hostage and totally won. We left the house, got into my mom's car, and started to drive down the driveway. Unfortunately, the couple had other ideas (they REALLY wanted to keep me locked up) and detonated a landmine or something outside the passenger side of the car. It was a massive explosion.

I died.

And the dream continued. My mom survived and either went back up to the house to get revenge or she made a break for it to prepare for a bigger fight.

The second dream worth mentioning happened maybe a week and a half or so ago. I don't remember a ton from this one, but the main thing I remember happening was being shot in the chest, at I think point-blank range, and having my back basically blown off. There was a massive exit wound between my shoulder blades. It was gruesome to say the least.

And again, I died. And the dream continued after I died.

The next dream happened a few days after the second. I'm pretty sure I didn't die this time around, which is progress, but I was still pretty banged up. This dream involved cars. And trees. The only pairing that goes better together than cars and trees is peanut butter and jelly. I think I was trying to escape from somebody or a group of somebodies and there may have been a passenger in my car as well. At whatever point, I ended up being run off the road and head first into tree. Airbags deployed. It's also possible that after the car accident, I might have been taken captive?

Super specific details are a little fuzzy, but I'm impressed I remember even that much.

The most recent dream was from maybe two nights ago. Surprise, surprise, I was being held hostage. I wasn't the only hostage this time around though and the three of us planned a daring escape. Which ended poorly - we were found out. We were being chased through yet another mansion (I clearly have a thing for dreaming about mansions) while being shot at. The three of us ended up becoming separated and our captors managed to gain some high ground in the form of the second floor. Being shot at from above isn't an enjoyable thing, especially with few good hiding places. Our captors tried to weed us out, which came pretty close to working. Actually, it did work. We were trying to regroup and we ran into two of our captors while the third began shooting at us from above.

And that's all I remember before I woke up.

It feels like these dreams are fairly interconnected, which is a weird concept. But if they are, how do I explain the one where I die from a gun shot fits into the grand scheme of things? And why do I keep dying? And when I'm not dying, why am I getting hurt? Should I be concerned? Another interesting thing I've notice is that these dreams all feel very . . . cinematic or theatrical in the way they are presented. Like, they'd be scenes straight out of a movie or a TV show.

I was telling my friend about these dreams and he said I needed a Xanax or something to calm me down because it sounded to him like I was pretty stressed out. I told him that my mind was literally killing me because of how stressed I apparently am. Which I thought was the cleverest thing ever. I still do. Don't judge me.

But those are just dreams and I honestly don't hold much to the idea of dream interpretation and are probably just a result of my overactive imagination releasing some pent up creativity . . . in a very violent way to force me to create things again.

Until next time, g'night and sleep tight.

Currently

2012-12-09T00:28:00.001-06:00

It's been a while since I've updated this blog. I have about six or seven posts on the back burner, waiting for me to finish them. If ever. Some of them are kind of old at this point, but I can make them work. Some are just too personal and I'm afraid of finishing them and unleashing them onto the scary playground that is the internet.

But telling you what I'm withholding isn't why I'm working on this post. This post is to just talk about my life as of now, because why not . . . and it's been a long while since I've posted anything.

As of right now, I am typing this post in my bed, in my bedroom, in my house, otherwise known as Backstage. It's fantastic. However, my room is a little messy. My stuff is all over the place. It's not pretty. At all. I'm procrastinating on cleaning and putting everything away.

I finally earned my driver's license this summer. It only took me two tries at the permit test and one behind the wheel test. AND I passed that part wonderfully. I had never parallel parked before the test and I pretty much aced it. It was great.I have a job. I am a full time DSP (Direct Service Professional) for Solutions I work with people who have behavioral and mental disorders. I have to thank a few friends for pushing me to apply here. If it wasn't for them, I'd probably be stuck making minimum wage flipping burgers, making America fatter one Big Mac at a time. Or worse - unemployed.

And this is just a minor little thing, but my sleeping habits have been odd. I mean, odder than usual. For whatever reason, I've been having trouble sleeping soundly through the night. It's peculiar because I'm usually really good about sleeping straight through the night . . . and just about everything else. Maybe something's bothering me and keeping me up. Not really sure.

OH! I was in a movie! Yep. That's a thing. Rather, that was a thing, filming's done. I was in a horror movie. It was an experience and a half. It was submitted for consideration for the Fargo Film Festival, so that'll be something to tell my grandkids someday (or not). Totally worth it though.

I also ran soundboard for a show at a theatre that WASN'T at a high school OR a college - it was a big kid theatre (Theatre B), where big kid actors act. I just auditioned for their next show, Sweet Nothings: A (Grim) Fairytale. And if this one doesn't work out, there are a bunch more auditions coming up in the next few weeks. I JUST WANT TO ACT! That's not too much to ask for, right?

I've also started seeing someone. We've been together for about a month. That's all I say about that.

I'm currently working on re-enrolling for school, which will be great for me to get back to school. I honestly do miss it, but I'm so grateful for taking the year off. It was a much need break from being a real person.

And that's my life. More or less. I'm probably glossing over something, but apparently it isn't important enough to mention.

So, yeah, sorry for the lack of anything, I just didn't really feel motivated or inspired or whatever is needed for writing a blog post.

Until next time (which will be soon), g'night and sleep tight.

Habitat

2012-06-15T06:14:00.001-05:00

Good news, everyone!

I'm getting a house! Rather, my family's getting a house! It's kind of a big deal.

Since about the summer before my Junior year of high school, my mom, brother, sisters, and myself moved in with my grandparents. In their two bedroom house.

It's a tight squeeze.

The basic sleeping arrangements are my grandparents in their room, my sisters in the other room, and my mom, brother and myself in the living room. That's changed a few times, but for the most part, that's where everyone sleeps while we're here. When my siblings go to their dad's, my mom tends to stay at the hotel she works at because it's convenient for her since she's an assistant manager and she's always around if someone messes something up or needs help. With the four of them gone, I'll take the other room, which is basically a mattress on the floor in a room full clothes and other stuff belonging to my family.

Now, it's not like we've liked being a burden upon my grandparents. We actually really dislike it. My mom has looked on and off for the years we've been living at my grandparents' place. Houses are kind of expensive. My mom has a family of five to care for. She works as much as she can. But there are bills to pay, things to buy, and so on and so forth.

But lo and behold, things come along at unexpected times. A few months ago, my grandmother read in our local paper that there was a house going to be built for a family in need through Habitat for Humanity. I forwarded the clipping to my mother and she hummed and hawed about applying (as my mother tends to do), but eventually she put in an application to be considered for the house.

Then we waited. I think we waited for a few weeks before we heard for sure whether or not we would be the one's receiving the house. But through some good fortune and our current situation (and the fact that I think we were the only family to apply), we were chosen as the family to receive the house.

The house that is being built is awesome. It's nothing fancy, but it's a place my family can call home. Finally. We've been kind of a bunch of drifters for years now. A neat thing about this house is that we get to have a hand in building the place we'll be living - we're required to put in so many hours of work on the house. And any of the work our friends and other family do counts toward our hours. So, really, it's a labor of great love and compassion.

And here are some obligatory pictures of the house so far:

And that is after about a month of work. Give or take. They say that we'll (er, rather, my mom and siblings) will be able to move into the house either toward the end of August or the beginning of September. Ideally, it would be before school starts.

So yeah, that's the big news I have and never bothered telling anyone till now. I think I only told one or two people and even then only one knew anything in depth.

Until next time, g'night and sleep tight

Desiderata

2012-05-22T10:36:00.001-05:00

I stumbled my way onto this poem (written in prose) and after reading it a few times, I feel like it summarizes my life philosophy. I'm very glad I stumbled my way onto this poem and I wanted to share it with you guys because this blog is where I can share longer things that I can't on Facebook or Twitter.

Desiderata (Latin for "desired things") was written by Max Erhmann in 1927. Any and all rights belong to him and his estate.

Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

I know this probably isn't the most accurate format, but I've run into so many different formatting styles for this poem and I went with the one I felt best fit the poem.

So yeah, this is a neat little poem; I'm glad I stumbled upon it.

And with that, g'night and sleep tight.

Direction[less]

2012-05-19T05:49:00.000-05:00

"Not all those who wander are lost;"
Never have I felt a quote, even one possibly taken completely out of context, so accurately describes the something resembling a life that is mine. And to the uninformed bystander, it looks like I am some lost soul.

I'm not.
But I am.

It really all depends on the day for me.

[Before I get too far into this post, let me just say that this could possibly be a pretty confusing post . . . because I'm confused about the whole thing too. As seen by the comment above.]

Most days I believe I'm just taking a detour, finding my own way to my own goals. I believe I'm forging my own path and carving out my own place in this world. I'm not comfortable with the idea of someone emptying a niche for me to fill because they think it's best for me. However, if someone wants to give me a pro-tip on something, awesome, I'd take it into consideration. Will I do what they tell recommend? If I think it will benefit me.

Then there are days when I really think I have no idea what I'm doing. At all. I feel like I'm floundering about in life, barely getting by. I look at other people who seem to know exactly what they're doing with their lives and I look like some buffoon in comparison who can't get his act together . Days like this are when I wish someone would lay out a path for me to follow, with step-by-step instructions on how to get to a predetermined endpoint for my life.

And I know I'm definitely not the only person in the world who has ever felt like this.

Part of why I feel like I'm floundering kind of stems from taking a semester off and the resulting mixed reactions I got from people. For the most part, people were cool with it. But then there were the people who didn't understand. At all. They didn't seem to understand I was tired, frustrated, and I just didn't want to be there at this point in my life. But that's already been covered in another post. I was prepared for people not understanding it, but when people mocked my decision, I was not expecting that.

Another reason why I feel like I'm floundering and have no direction in life is because I feel like I've let people down and didn't meet their expectations of what they wanted to do with my life. Which makes me think they think less of me as a person. Which brings me to a nifty anecdote from my youth. So, long before I settled on my chosen life path, I aspired to take over my family's farm. Yeah. Anyway, back when my great-grandmother was, well, dying, my family all kind of came together to say our good-byes and all that fun dying relative stuff. When we weren't inside the apartment, we were out in a gazebo just distracting ourselves with whatever - chess, random little challenging puzzles, etc. Well, after people had asked the eight year old me what I wanted to do when I grew up and was all "Oh, I want to take over the farm," Apparently, when I wasn't present one of my great-uncle's said to other family members that he really hoped I didn't get the farm because I was such a smart kid and if any of our family was going to get out of here, it would be me. And I'd be off doing great things with my life instead of wasting my time down on the farm.

My head almost imploded when I had heard that little story. It sucked. And I felt like I was failing at that.

But when I feel like I'm not failing at life and trying to figure it out (or if I need to remind myself I'm not), I remind myself I'm only nineteen (I'll be twenty in ten days after this post goes up). I'm still growing up. I'm still learning, I'm always learning. I am finding my own way in this world. I just have to remember that. I also need to remind myself I'm not alone, there are so many others out there who are going through what I am.
Taking this time off is honestly one of the best things I've done for myself. I generally feel better about myself, I'm not as frustrated with things, I've discovered parts of myself I knew were there, but never really had time to fully embrace. If I had stayed in school, I would have been very unhappy and I wouldn't have been able to grow as a person.
No where does it say I'm required to have my life planned out by a certain age. And I've accepted that there are some repercussions, if you will. I will be stressed and anxious about it at various times. Life is an adventure, why does there have to be a goal? I'm going to explore this world and go wherever I feel called. No goal. No endgame. My only goal I have is just to be happy.

Good lord, did this post decide to take it's title to heart . . . I went all over the place with this one. I'm honestly tired of writing this post. I've spent far too long it. So long. I need to work on maintaining a steady stream of thought when working on posts that involve me explaining something. I think too far ahead and lose any ideas I have when I go back to the point at hand.

Anyway, I'm going to try and get some sleep.
Until next time, g'night and sleep tight.

Bragging

2012-05-02T07:18:00.001-05:00

Okay, so, I never really do this. Like ever. But I feel like it's a very needed thing as of late. I'd like to consider myself a humble person, I dislike talking myself up because I don't want people to think I'm some self-centered idiot who can't see past my own greatness.

With that in mind, let me just talk about how awesome I am.

First of all, I'm a smart kid. I may not have a genius level IQ, but I'm not some caveman eating mud. I can pick up certain things pretty quickly. I'm generally a quick learner. I also have common sense. Which is something I've noticed a bunch of people I know lack. I'm not oblivious to the way the world works. I keep myself pretty informed in what's happening in the world.

I'm a good person. I'm not a massive jerk. I generally go out of my way to help people. I will drop what I'm doing and go help that person. I generally like putting people first. As an extension of helping people, I'm a really good listener! People will come to me, tell me about whatever it is that is burdening them, and I will listen without passing ANY kind of judgement on them. I've been called a "really good active listener." If people want my advice on something, I'll give it, but I don't expect them to follow it. I realize people are people and can make their own decisions. In fact, I would probably question anyone who repeatedly came to me for advice and followed to the T.

I'm a pretty attractive guy. I mean, I'm not ripped or built, I'm actually pretty skinny, but I still look good. And I've gotten better with age. I'm pretty sure the beard helps. The words adorable, hot, attractive, cute, and handsome have all been used to describe me. And they're all right.

I mean, look at me

Let's not forget the fact that I have TWO birthdays. Yes, it's a minor technicality, but you know what, I'm embracing it! The only other people who can say they have more than one birthday either have had a similar thing happen to them or they were born on Leap Day. For those of you who don't know what happened, it's basically all one giant typo. The hospital I was born in accidentally put that I was born the day before my actual birth. The time was right, just not the day. So that's that story.

I have excellent taste in music. I don't limit myself to just one or two genres, I listen to ALL the genres. Well, almost all the genres. I can't do heavy, heavy metal or listen to bands that excessively use screaming as their preferred method of "singing." It's cool every once in a while, but not for an entire song. Anyway, I could be listening to something like Flyleaf one song and end up listening to something from a musical the next and then swing all the way to Skrillex and finally settle on something by The Civil Wars. I think that's actually happened, by the way. I know those aren't necessarily the best examples for my point, but it still makes my point.

Another thing I'm particularly good at is acting. It's something I'm good at, something I love to do, and hope to pursue in my future. Someone said something to me after a show I was in in high school and it happened to be A Midsummer Night's Dream. We were standing in the receiving line for the audience to come congratulate and thank us on a show well done and this one woman came to me and said she thinks I would do very well in and should do more shows by Shakespeare. I took this as a very high compliment because it's Shakespeare.

I'd like to stop and take a moment to let all of you reading this to know that this post is taking far longer than I'd hoped it would take. I'm kind of dying on the inside writing this much about myself like this.

Speaking of writing (see what I did there?), I'm a good writer. Sure, I don't always put quality posts on my blog, but that doesn't mean I'm a bad writer; I write differently for different things. If I'm writing a paper for a class that needs quality, I bust out my very best writing skills. If it's a paper that doesn't need that high of a level of quality, I'll adjust accordingly, but I still write really good papers.

Okay . . . I think I'm done. I can't do it anymore. It's too much!!! I've bragged about myself as long as I can. I really don't want people to think I'm honestly this concerned about things. I wrote this so that way I can come back and give myself a nice confidence boost whenever I need it. To quickly summarize, I'm awesome and need to remember this more often. Sure, I will occasionally bring some of these things up, but usually when I'm joking about it. Oh, and I'm funny. I've heard people say that if you think you're funny, you're probably not. Well, shut up. I am.
Honestly readers, if you really think I'm this full of myself, we need to have a chat. And if you have a problem or disagree with these statements I've laid out about myself, don't bother. I won't listen. I mean that in the nicest possible way. I did this as a reminder to myself, I don't want to turn around and get bashed for it.

Lesson of this post: be awesome, remind yourself you are, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Until next time, g'night and sleep tight

Fear

2012-04-19T02:19:00.001-05:00

So, a few of the blogs I follow and read fairly regularly have touched upon the topic of fear and what scares them. I decided to be a conformist and follow suit - this is a post of things that scare me.

Let me be upfront, I'm not generally a person to be super terrified of anything. Sure, I'll jump and have my moments during a haunted house, corn maze, etc, etc, but after it's over, I'm fine. I'm not going to be unable to sleep at night or have nightmares about it.

However, there are a few things that terrify me like no other. One of these things is a fear I've had for nearly nineteen or so years. I absolutely refuse to include an image of it on here AND SO HELP ME if anyone of you numb skulls comments or sends his image to me, I will make sure you die a thousand deaths. Each painfully.
I don't know what it is about him, but I'm absolutely terrified of this puppet. He had a television show a while back, you may have heard of it, Tales from the Crypt (I got chills and freaked out even just writing it). The Crypt Keeper scared the ever loving daylights out of me. My mom still makes fun of me to this day about it, not constantly, but every so often. Apparently whenever he would come on (I do question my mother's choices in letting me, a small boy with a developing mind, watch that or even have it on while I was around), I would panic, and try to get as physically close to her as possible, or as she likes to put, try to climb back inside of her. You can go thank her for that image.
To this day, I can't watch the show, the movies, anything. That scene in Casper The Friendly Ghost where the dad is possessed or whatever by the three dead uncles? Yeah, that doesn't fly with me. I close my eyes, plug my ears, and will sit there like that until I'm sure it's safe to look again.

All because of a puppet. And that creepy, creepy voice.
Guuuuh.
Okay, enough thinking about that.

That's really the only thing I'm genuinely afraid of.

Recently, the thing that scared me and actually carried over to something that wasn't the movie was The Orphanage. Not the movie itself, but just one character. It was, go figure, another dead person. The movie itself, AMAZING. It was just that this one character was so creepy and he just got stuck in your head after watching the movie. Not even kidding.

Look at that thing! The movie was actually scary and it was SO GOOD. However, this small, dead, ghost child thing got to me after the movie was over. I went to shower (you're welcome for that image) after watching it, and I kept checking the shower stall because I was convinced he was going to pop up in the stall while I showered. It was the most nerve-wracking shower I think I've ever taken.

My other fears aren't all that unusual.
I can't do the dark. I really can't. I get all panicky and anxious if I'm in the dark for too long, especially alone. I worry about what's outside of my sight and whether something nefarious and hurtful is there. Waiting to get me.

I'm absolutely terrified of losing friends and alienating them over something I had no idea I did or didn't do or even without explanation, just whatever. This was actually a theme in a dream I had the other afternoon while napping. It was such intense fear that I woke up, checked my phone to make sure I didn't get any messages like what were sent to dream me and I even logged onto Facebook to check there too. It was probably the scariest ten minutes of my week. I legitimately panicked over the dream because I had thought it had actually happened.

Another fear of mine is failure . . . and not meeting my expectations and letting people down because of the expectations they have of me. Yeah, that one pretty much speaks for itself. It was really hard to admit to people I was taking time off because everyone expected me to go to college and do well and all that. The cross I bear being the golden child.

I love roller coasters. However, I tend to get a little nervous on the very first hill. I think it's the anticipation of the impending drop. Or it's the amount of adrenaline my brain sends out. Either way, I do experience a bit of fear.

I also get a little worried around spiders. If there's a spider in the shower, I won't shower. I will get dressed and not shower in that shower until I can get rid of the thing. I don't have a problem with shower buddies, but not eight legged ones.

So, let the record show that, yes, I can't be the one to lead a group through a haunted house or a haunted maze or other places like that, but deep down, I'm not really a scared person. Unlike other people I know who can barely handle watching a trailer for a horror film. I do genuinely like good horror films, films that build the suspense and BAM!!! When you're least expecting, the [villian/creature/monster/murderer/bad guy] comes out and [abducts/murders/eats/misfigures/etc] the people it's been terrorizing.
And that is really all I have for you. Kind of a haphazard wandering through a list of things that scare me. Not very long, but you know, I'm not really a scared person. I just tend to worry too much, even though I tell EVERYONE else I know not to.

Anyway, until next time, g'night and sleep tight.

A Dilemma

2012-03-13T01:40:00.000-05:00

Greetings and salutations.

So, I've reached an impasse, a moral dilemma really, with this whole blog thing. Way back when I first started this blog, I decided to be honest and open, with not only myself, but to those of you who take time out of your day to read my humble little blog. I think I've done a relatively good job of doing that.

That handy dandy picture brings me to the point of this blog, in an overarching, general kind of way. It's come to my attention that I don't always express everything I could on this blog. And that I'm really bad at this whole blogging thing, but that's another issue entirely.

I suppose the reason why I don't open up about absolutely everything I would like to write about on here is generally for the sake and benefit of others. Which isn't fair to me. It impairs my honesty. It ultimately puts a limit on what I can and can't publish. I mean, I suppose I do it for myself, too. I'm kind of afraid of what could possibly come up if I publish something that hasn't exactly been talked about in person.

For example, I have a post in reserve I would kind of love to publish, but haven't because it was written at what I'd consider a personal low moment for myself and the content matter hasn't really been addressed by those involved. I wouldn't be posting it for attention (because it could read that way to some people) or whatever, but I would really like to bring to light an issue that I don't really hear too much about. Plus, it's very emotionally heavy. I, for whatever reason, have fallen into this habit of posting blogs of that nature. I would really like to post some lighter, funnier posts before I throw that one into the fray.

It's not just here, on my blog, but it's on all of my social media type accounts.

And I mean, I have no problem not posting everything about myself. There are some things in my life I'd rather keep off of the internet and some things I haven't quite figured out about myself, which may or may not be unusual for an almost twenty year old, and yes, I can call myself that because my birthday is in two months.

ALSO. This has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the posts, but how they look. I don't know what's going on and why it does this, but it really irritates me. For some odd reason, the spacing of the paragraphs tends to be larger than what I want and intended. Say I press the enter key twice, to create a new section, the post will decide I pressed it fifty times and send the next section half way down the page. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY IT DOES THAT. <--- That was me raging, in case you missed that.

Anyway, to briefly summarize, I'm not completely honest and open out of fear of the repercussions I'd experience of what I post. BAM.

Also, this:

Here's where I mix things up a bit. I want some feedback. Do I give the fear I have the figurative middle finger and post whatever I want regardless of what anyone says or do I not.
And while I'm mixing things up, I want to hear what you want to read about! Let me know what you think I could write a good post about, what you want me address, whatever. Let's try to keep it relatively appropriate, but other than that, anything!
I am genuinely curious as to what you guys think about that issue and what you want to read. Let me know!

So, yeah! That's that. I don't really have too much left to say about this. I've already rambled enough on this.

Alright then, until next time, goodnight and sleep tight.

Some Goals

2012-01-29T01:14:00.002-06:00

Greetings and salutations.

Well, after that last blog post, I figure I'd lighten the mood a bit by just rambling for a bit. The rambling will probably consist of me updating everyone on stuff, which includes even more decisions, putting down some goals I have for this year, and just some random nonsense accompanied by some humour, if you find things I write to be funny. If you don't, it will just be random nonsense where I attempt to be funny. Also, pictures. Maybe pictures.

Anyway, after putting in even MORE applications, I've gotten as far as . . . what's would be an accurate comparison? From say, the Carl to the theatre on Concordia's campus. For any non Cobbers reading this, that isn't very far at all. I've either not heard back from places, they aren't hiring full time right now, they're only hiring part time, they're cleaning out all of their seasonal workers, or they just won't give me the time of day.

Because I lack experience.

Which is silly if you ask me. If you want me to have experience, why not hire me so I can get experience. I mean, it's not really that hard.
I did, however, go to interview for a job at Eddie Bauer . . . which turned out to be a meager part time job that was only five to ten hours a week. I couldn't support myself off of that. I'd need like, two more part jobs to even come close to making what I need to live over in Fargo.
Speaking of Fargo . . . things aren't quite working out the way I'd like them to. That means I'm going to have to start looking elsewhere. And by elsewhere, I've been thinking of places like Duluth, Minneapolis, Grand Forks, and even around home. Each has it's advantages. Duluth has UMD, which has a good theatre program, or so I'm told, and on a personal level, a friend said she thinks I'd do well there and in Duluth. Minneapolis is home to so much theatre. So much, in fact, that it's the third largest theatre hub (a word I use very loosely as I can't think of the proper term) in the country. Rumour has it there are some theatre schools down there worth looking at. Grand Forks is the closest to Moorhead and Concordia out of these places. Home is good because it's a definite place to live. Then there's Fargo. But that's been covered.

Anyway, that's that update about my semester off thus far. And I'm done with that.
Now for some goals I've gone and set for myself for this year. Don't call them resolutions, I don't do that nonsense, just like I don't do Lent. At least one of these is kind of a seasonal thing and since I live in Minnesota, there's snow . . . sort of. Beside the point. So, some of my goals/plans for this year include:

Writing - I use to write stuff all the time. Just about none of it survived to see the light of day. I was always incredibly critical of what I wrote and would just scrap it. So, I'm going to try and save what I write and maybe post some of it here. I've never written a script before, so I might try my hand at writing a play script.
Audition - For professional shows. I haven't had a sizable role in a while and I need to act and work on my craft. I just want to be on stage. F/M doesn't have the most venues, but it does have some. Minneapolis and Duluth have more venues to look into. Wherever I end up, I'm going to find a theatre company and shows to audition for.
Getting in shape - I'm so out of shape. I mean really. I know I'm just awkwardly skinny, but that doesn't mean I'm in shape. I do have some muscle/flexibility/endurance. Just not a ton of it. So, I'm going to lose some weight (what?!?!?!) and get in some semblance of shape.
Learn to skateboard - Why you ask? "Why not?" is my answer to you.
Figure out my sleeping disorder - I know what it is, I know what I can do, it's a matter of finding out what's best and implementing it.
Figure out who I am* - I sometimes feel like I don't really know who I am . . . [cue sappy attention seeking music] and I have time to figure myself out as a person.

Those are just some personal goals/plans I have for myself at this point in time.

This is going to be a year of big change! I can feel it. I'm ready to get this all going and I'm ready to get out of here. I love being home, I do. I just feel like I've done nothing but sit around since I've been home. Which, admittedly, isn't an awful thing for the first month, taking time for myself and just getting things figured out, but it's time to get things done!

That's all I've really got worth talking about for now. I've covered just about everything I said I was going to. I've covered the rambling, a bit. I didn't give a picture though. One moment.

There. Three pictures. Not really relevant, but whatever.

Till next time, goodnight and sleep tight

*may or may not actually happen within the next few months

An Explanation

2011-12-25T13:01:00.000-06:00

This is probably going to be one the hardest things I've written . . . mostly because it's about a huge decision I've made.

So, as many of you know, I am a Sophomore at Concordia College. I am a Cobber and proud of it. I am majoring in Theatre and English Writing. I made the decision to go to college straight out of high school. I thought it would work and I'd be fine.

Well, it isn't working.

I'm not fine.

Let me say I am glad I went to Concordia. I'm proud of the fact I went to college, the first in my family. I like college, I'm glad I'm going, but I'm just worn out from going to school for thirteen years, then hopping into four more years of school.

I'm worn out.

I need a break.

With that, I've decided I am going to take my Spring semester off. This effects me in a few ways. I will not be graduating in May of 2014 like I would if I did not take the semester off, however if those Mayans are right, we won't make it past 2012 anyway < rim shot >. I will, hopefully, be graduating instead in December of 2014. I will also have to start paying off grants and loans and all that money I borrowed since I will no longer be a full time student (I think so anyway. I have to talk to the financial aid office about loan payback).

Now, I know several people who have taken time off and just sat around doing nothing. I'm not going to be one of those people. I've already submitted a bunch of applications to businesses around the F/M area (ten at the last count and I started applying on Friday) and I've also started requesting information on apartments in Fargo. It won't be anything fancy, just a studio apartment (which is kind of my ideal place of residence actually just not as small as the ones I'm looking at) because they're cheap. I'm hoping to have all of this settled and squared away before February, ideally sometime mid-January. So instead of being a full time student, I will be working full time, and in all honesty, I think would give me more time to focus on me. Which I haven't been able to do.

Yes, I realize many, many, many other people did go to college right out of high school and it works for them. Kudos to you, I don't want to hear any lectures about that. It hasn't been working for me. It's my education, my future, my decision, so I just ask that no one tries to tell me I'm just being x, y, or z about whatever it is you may think about my decision. I'm open to any disagreements you may have about it, but please don't try to talk me out of it. I'm not the type of person who will do something for the approval of others. I'm doing this for me and not for anybody else.

There is one thing I do ask for though and that's support. This was a really difficult decision to make and not one I made lightly. I've been thinking about it since this past summer when I considered taking Fall semester off. If you can't support and don't agree with me, then just respect my decision and don't think differently of me, I'm doing what's best for me. It's not like I'm dropping out and leaving school entirely.

There is also another thing concerning my education that I can think about during my semester away. Not long ago, I began looking at theatre conservatories and other schools with really good theatre programs. At first I was considering attending grad school at these places, however, I've ruled out grad school. At least for the time being. I don't intend to go after I graduate college. Anyway, looking at these schools planted them into my thoughts and these thoughts grew into more plausible ideas. And if you're intelligent, you've probably already deduced that I mean transfer. I haven't committed to anything, I've just been contemplating it, but I haven't had any real time to deeply think about it. I honestly don't know whether I will transfer or not, but I'm definitely going to have to think about it.

In the long run, this semester away will help me refocus, recharge, and find what I've lost. All I need is time, and since I have time to do it, I'm doing it. This will also give me a chance to try my hand at doing the whole legitimate working actor thing. Once I'm settled and everything, I'll be exploring Fargo's drama scene and sticking my foot in the door.

Wow, okay, that was a bit more rambling than I intended. I hope this explains things relatively well, and if not, just ask me. Most of you know how to get a hold of me.

Until next time, goodnight and sleep tight

SIDENOTE: Please excuse the odd formatting that pops up in some spots. I guess Blogspot is just too smart for me to try and fix.

The Dream

2011-12-23T15:21:00.000-06:00

Greetings and salutations.

So, last night, I had the most ridiculous dream I've had in a while that I can remember. I was curious to see what the things in my dream meant, so that's what this post is about.

In my dream, I was chilling in my room, at school. I was with some friends just doing whatever and my door was open because it just was. One of my friends walked by and I saw him and we talked for a while, nothing memorable. Now, the craziness starts. He left and I noticed that he was walking from one end of the hallway to the other, looking into my room every time he passed it. I was like, "Huh" and just kept on chilling. Suddenly, another of the dorms DA's (Dorm Advisor) walked into the doorway and I said "Hi" and turned back around. I heard a loud BANG. She had shot me. In the part of the back between the shoulder blades. Someone had the bright idea of just putting something over the wound till later (which never came by the way).

Some time passed and I was with my grandparents eating a meal in a restaurant. Normal stuff. I still had the gauze tail hanging from my back. I went to the bathroom and came out to find my good friend Yeatsy chilling at the counter (it was a diner-esque type place) and I went up and started talking to her. After I was done eating, I decided to hang out Yeatsy, so I said goodbye to grandparents and Yeatsy and I ended up in a cab, which was driven by her aunt (or her mom, I can't recall which) and had her sister in the back seat. We started heading back to town when suddenly there was lava! We drove over a little bit of it. We kept going. We ended up driving through a huge lava flow (car went under and all that). We freaked out and kept on going.

At some point, the lava turned into this mechanical looking goo type stuff . . . I can't even describe it . . . the point was stuff had gone super bizarre. We somehow ended up in space. I don't quite understand it. But we started flying past all of these weird space things.

We started flying through some battles happening. The participants of these battles were aliens, I think they were the Borg from Star Trek (yes, I know some Star Trek stuff . . . and that's about it) and Batman. Yeah, Batman was there. In space. We flew overhead of this battle and saw Batman take out a few of his opponents.

We kept soaring through space when I saw my dog. I don't know what she was doing there. Or how she was there, all I know is I had to rescue her from space. So I did just that. I rescued her. Eventually we ended up at this pet store. I really have no idea how I ended up there. We were unwinding from our crazy adventures in space. I was looking at the fish and I saw this gorgeous betta with giant flowing fins and I wanted it . . . and then I woke up.

So, I looked as much of this stuff up as I could in a dream interpretation type thing and this is what I ended up with (courtesy of this website):

Being shot represents a form of self-punishment that you may be unconsciously imposing on yourself. You may have done something that you are ashamed of or are not proud of .
Bandages indicate your need to heal. You may be feeling emotionally wounded and are trying to cover/shield your hurt from others.
Seeing a naked back in your dream symbolizes secrets that you may have kept from others or aspects of yourself that you have kept hidden and shielded away.
Seeing your grandparents in your dream symbolize love, security, wisdom and protection.
Seeing friends in your dream signify aspects of your personality that you have rejected, but are ready to incorporate and acknowledge. The relationships you have with those around you are important in learning about yourself. Alternatively, dreaming of a friend indicates positive news.
Dreaming that you are in a cab indicates that you are being taken for a ride. Someone is taking advantage of you.
Sitting in the backseat of a car suggests that you are no longer in control of your life. You may be feeling overpowered, dominated and being told what to do. You need to start taking back control of your life.
Lava in your dream signifies violent anger which you have kept inside for a period of time.
Dreaming that you are in space represents exploration and independent thinking. You are broadening your horizons and view. Alternatively, the dream may be a metaphor that you are "spacing out". You need to return your concentration back on your future and goals. Or the dream may be a pun on your need for more "space" in a relationship or situation.
Seeing spaceship in your dream symbolizes your creative mind. It denotes a spiritual journey into the unknown and signals self-development and self-awareness. Alternatively, the dream suggests that you need to take on a different perspective, no matter how bizarre or unusual it may be.
Batman in your dream suggests that you need to utilize your wits and resources in order to help yourself or others. Perhaps your are not maximizing your full potential. You need to unleash the power from within. Stop looking for shortcuts to get you where you want. Alternatively, the dream implies that there is some wrongdoing that you need to rectify (I was amazed when they had an entry on Batman).
Aliens in your dream signify that you are having difficulties adapting and adjusting to your new surroundings. You are feeling "alienated" and disconnected. You may also be having difficulties with how to handle or deal with a certain situation or person. On a psychological level, seeing aliens represent an encounter with an unfamiliar or neglected aspect of your own self.
A dog in your dream symbolizes intuition, loyalty, generosity, protection, and fidelity. The dream suggests that your strong values and good intentions will enable you to go forward in the world and bring you success. The dream dog may also represent someone in your life who exhibits these qualities. Alternatively, to see a dog in your dream indicates a skill that you may have ignored or forgotten.
A betta fish in your dream indicates that thoughts from your unconscious is close to emerging to the surface. You are ready to confront your repressed thoughts. If there are two betta fish in your dream, then it signifies conflicting issues that you are dealing with.

So . . . basically, I have some issues to work out. If you hold much stock to dream interpretation.

Sorry this post is incredibly long! I didn't plan it that way. Hopefully you'll read or at least skim through the dream and look at what my dream might have meant.

Until next time, goodnight and sleep tight

Honesty

2011-12-23T14:10:00.000-06:00

Greetings and salutations!

I have been feeling very honest as of late. I feel like sharing some truths about myself. So here goes.

Truth #1: I'm not honest about myself.
Okay, so that sounds really bad. Let me explain. I'll tell the truth, if it isn't about me. If something is up with me, I won't talk about it. Usually. Sometimes I just reach a point and just blow passive aggressiveness all over everybody. But if someone asks me if somethings wrong, I'll say something like "It's nothing," "I'm fine, don't worry about it," and other things of that nature. I won't go into details all the time about certain things because I'd rather keep them to myself. I'm sure that's a very vague answer, but that's the best way I can explain it.

Truth #2: I swear. Like a sailor.
I'm not going to go around and swear in front of everybody. That's not appropriate. I refuse to swear in front of my family, mostly because my siblings are at that age (teenagers) where they'll see me doing things and try to do it themselves and use me as an excuse. My brother pulls that stunt enough already. I don't need him going over to his dad's house and swearing up a storm and blaming me for it. My sisters are starting to become more like that as well, mostly through my brother and by extension, me. I also refuse to swear on places like Facebook, Twitter, this blog, or anywhere the public can see it. It's called maintaining a (quasi) professional image. Try it sometime, kids.

Truth #3: My majors are not up for debate.
I've had to justify my majors several times already over break. No one understood I wasn't majoring in Theatre for the money. I'm not naive enough to think I'll be making millions as an actor, unless I choose to pursue a film . . . which is still a long shot. I'm doing it to be happy. That's my justification of it. I'm sick of being told I need a back up and not having any support for my goals. I can honestly make plenty of money for myself to be happy and comfortable with life. I can also write, I will have an English Writing major, too. I could write for a high profile newspaper, magazine, whatever. It's not like I won't have a job. It will probably be in a restaurant (ha ha, Theeatre major jokes). There. End of story.

Truth #4: I'm sick of being looked at differently because of my sleeping habits.
I know I've already touched upon this a few times, but it's a persistent thing. I have tried just about everything to try and keep an earlier bedtime. It doesn't (see that contraction? It means not) stick. My sleep schedule is pretty consistent; sleeping anywhere between 2:30 and 3:30, awake between 11:00 and noon. Because for whatever reason, I have the hardest time waking up anytime before about seven hours of sleep. I feel miserable and incredibly drowsy all day, but I won't fall asleep anytime earlier. Every so often I'll fall into a regular sleep pattern, but it doesn't stay for very long. My sleep schedule works for me. Does it harm anybody else? No. I present a challenge to anyone. If you want to take it, contact me.

Truth #5: I'm a pacifist. And a conscientious objector.
I don't support violence. I don't support war. Pretty simple (I do support those who do choose to serve in war though. My grandfather was a Marine and in the Air Force and my uncle was in the Air Force, too).

Truth #6: I'll probably never be a dad.
It's not that I can't have them or that I don't like kids. I can and do. I just have a few things with my own father and all that fun stuff. I'd rather not risk something like that happening to a child I'd bring into the world. I'm not saying it will happen, I'd honestly feel better not trying and having to worry about that whole thing (Sidenote: I'm pretty sure I've mentioned the whole thing with my dad before. It's in here somewhere. Scavenger hunt time). I mean, how fair would it be to either me or the offspring I'd sire if it were to happen? It'd be really unfair to the kid, that's for sure. If I were to ever resolve the issues between the two of us, I'd probably reconsider the whole child thing.

That's really I have for now. I will probably add more as I see fit, so be sure to keep an eye on this post. At least the corner of an eye.

Until next time, goodnight and sleep tight

The Anniversary

2011-12-16T05:27:00.000-06:00

Greetings and salutations!

This post is a very, very special post. Yes indeed. This time one year ago was when I wrote my very first post (which can be found here if you want to relive the glory that has been my blog).

My how times have changed.

I am now a Sophomore. I now have a room all to my self, aside from random creatures named Orwell and Bronte. They keep me company . . . as much company as two fish can provide. Faustus has left us for a better place in case any of you remember him. He passed (read: jumped from his bowl) at the end of second semester last spring. We were barely home a week when he went on to the big fishbowl in the sky. Bronte is a recent addition to my world. She too is a betta fish. I purchased her on a whim recently and I will probably leave her at home after break . . . like many other beasts my family has come into possession of over the years.

I am currently packing/cleaning/finishing up my first semester of Sophomore year here at Concordia. And wow, what a semester it's been. I have something planned which will talk about first semester and other such things. It's going to get really honest up in here, really fast (said as ethnically (read: black) as possible (is that P.C? Eh, who cares. I'm going with it).

Speaking of truths, I really only needed to post this special anniversary blog and didn't really have anything else planned for it. So, thank you, dear readers, how ever many there are of you. Thank you for reading and sticking with the random, inconsistent, nonsensical, ramblings of this night owl. I hope you'll continue reading and sticking with me for another glorious year of late nights.

Until next time, goodnight and sleep tight.

Sleep, Again

2011-11-23T08:32:00.001-06:00

Greetings and salutations.

Alright kids. I've already posted a post about this subject . . . but things have changed and new twists have been added to the fun game that is my sleeping habits. I don't want to sound like a broken record about the whole sleeping disorder thing, but well, this is a space where I put some of my thoughts and sleep happens to be on my mind frequently.

As previously mentioned in my first post about this particular subject, as found here if you need a refresher course, I mentioned Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. DSPS is a circadian rhythm disorder and like the name implies (context clues, kids), my sleep is delayed. What that means for me is I have trouble naturally falling asleep before two or three in the morning. It's basically impossible . . . unless I'm just exhausted or have been up all night without any sleep. When I wrote the first post, I wasn't specifically diagnosed with anything, it was all speculation and self-diagnosis, which I don't do often. After seeing a sleep doctor, who is wonderful and I really like her, I was given the diagnosis of DSPS. Which was a huge relief for me because I now have someone who specializes in sleep telling me there is something wrong.

Oh, and did I mention she also diagnosed me with psychophysiological insomnia? Because she did.

From what my doctor has told me, psychophysiological insomnia is caused by high levels of stress and anxiety. My particular stress and anxiety came from my sleep, my attempts to force myself to sleep before I was ready to, my anxiety over my inability to fix and control my sleep, and my reactions to other people commenting on my sleeping habits . . . which were mostly critical (and brought on even more issues for me).

And what am I doing to accommodate my unusual sleeping schedule and school? Well, I have two classes each day and the classes don't start until after noon thirty. Which has worked out relatively okay. I mean, I've missed classes, but my professors know what's up and that it's somewhat out of my control. I'm also on a prescription sleep aid . . . not a sleeping pill. My doctor put me on trazodone, which is actually an anti-depressant, to induce drowsiness, which will help me fall asleep sooner. It's been okay so far, I haven't had any really adverse reactions to it. My jaw would be locked when I woke up and would pop when I tried to open past a certain point. That hurt. I told my doctor about this and she said that it was probably me clenching my jaw at night that caused the locking and that it was probably a side effect of the pill, since I've never had this problem before.

But the combination of the DSPS and insomnia is an interesting mix . . . I've noticed I've been falling asleep later than I normally would (which is already late for polite society). I've also fallen into a bizarre habit of crashing at like eight or nine in the evenings and waking up again at say, two or three in the morning, staying up till about eleven, crashing again, and waking up for class . . . this has been me for the past week. I blame Grease. But not really . . . kind of.

Speaking of the Fine Arts, during my initial meeting with my doctor, we were talking about what I was studying in school. When I mentioned I was a Theatre and English Writing double major, she was like "As much a night owl as you are, that's perfect for you." She meant perfect in the sense I wouldn't have to worry too much about the whole 9-5 shift nonsense. She also didn't say those exact words, I was getting to the essence of what she meant.

Anyway, that's all I really have to say about this at the time being. I'll keep the world updated with my sleep stuff as I have more to say about it.

With that, goodnight and sleep tight.

Annoyed

2011-10-11T04:59:00.000-05:00

Greetings and salutations.

So, recently, I've started thinking and those thoughts have been pretty . . . negative, for lack of a better word. More specifically, I've been thinking about people. And politics. And other things that involve people and their shining ignorance.

Now, I'm a pretty easy going person - live and let live and what not and I've never been incredibly vocal about these particular topics since people like to totally walk all over and ruin my train of thought. Plus, I get mildly anxious about trying to voice my thoughts on them. But, I really want to get my thoughts out on these ideas.

Bear with me, as I'll probably ramble a bit while trying to make my point.

Let's get started.

Republicans, more specifically Tea Partiers, really irritate me to no end. Here's my basic problem with them, elaborated with a handy dandy picture:

That. That right there is my biggest gripe with the Tea Party. That list could probably be extended by more knowledgeable individuals than myself, but that's a good start.

Let's start with gay marriage. Why is the government involved in marriage anyway? Last time I checked, most people get married in a church, by a priest/minister/pastor/appropriate religious official. So, can someone please tell me why the government needs to be involved in something that belongs to God, who by the way, the Tea Party loves. Not saying I don't love the Big Guy upstairs, but religion doesn't matter to me in politics or whether someone can effectively lead me OR a country.

As for the U.S. of A being a Christian nation, well, it certainly shouldn't be if it is one. Aren't we the land of the free? Isn't that why many people came to America? To escape religious persecution? To worship whatever deity they choose without fear of being hunted down and imprisoned (or whatever it is that happens)? You bet your sweet bippy they did! We were created as an equal nation and believe all men are created equal, that last bit is even in the Declaration of Independence. It's actually used pretty early on. It also mentions the right to the "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" relatively soon after that bit about all men being created equally. So take that Tea Party.

But I'm getting slightly off the point. Let's talk about abortion next . . . which is tricky to do well. So, here goes. Abortion is wrong. Clearly. However (and this is a really BIG however), I believe that under extremely specific circumstances, abortion should be allowed. Those exceptions include life or death situations for the mother and only as a last resort, or if the fetus is so far gone because of some deformations and there is no saving it. I'm not saying we should ban abortion; I'm appreciative of Planned Parenthood and those types of clinics for existing so women can go to a safe place and safely have an abortion instead of in a back alley with a rusty wire hanger, if they so choose to do so. I know that sounds really contradictory and trust me, I'm super aware of that fact. It's a super bizarre combination of thoughts. But we shouldn't ban abortion because women would seek out other methods in desperation. [Phew!!!] Abortion is tricky and a super touchy subject.

As for pornography. Really, Tea Party? Really? Yes, I can understand the point you're trying to make, but come on. That's going a little too far. I don't have a particular stance on this one, but I suppose I'm opposed to the banning of pornography. It doesn't make a lick of sense to me why you would. Especially considering it's a massive industry and those Republicans are a huge fan of big business!!!

I could probably go on and on about my political stances on a huge variety of issues, but that would get boring and where's the fun in that?

Another thing that really annoys me in my life is people who have this undeserved sense of superiority. It's particularly annoying when it's a really huge sense of undeserved superiority and there's a group of people like that. Now, I like to joke about how awesome I am and how much better I am than so-and-so, but I don't really mean it. Not for a minute do I honestly believe I am better than anybody . . . except MSUM and Women's Studies majors . . . ah ha ha ha, see what I did there? But I know so many people who legitimately believe they are better than other people based off totally ridiculous things. For example: relationship status; majors; future career aspirations; their significant other's major and future wealth.

On a semi-unrelated note, I also know people who throw a huge fit when people knock their major. Let's be honest, I'm a Theatre major. I'm also an English Writing major. Two of the most subjective majors, which require you to be able to sell yourself and accept massive amounts of criticism and rejection before you even get anything. So, if I make a joke about your major, suck it up! Have a sense of humor about things. I have to go through years of rejections, while you get to sit pretty behind some desk or wear some lab coat being successful AND WORKING, almost right away. I know why I'm talking about majors and what not now - I wanted to slip in the fact that as a Theatre major, I'm looked down upon. And that annoys me.

It all makes sense now.

Sorry if this has been a really misleading post. I am sincerely annoyed by all of the aforementioned things, people, and ideas. Before you leave, I do need to tell you I am not some close minded bigot. I am actually pretty open minded and just have a really specific stance on things. My moral compass tells me so. I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts and took something away from it.

Till next time, sleep tight.

Hipsters

2011-09-19T04:31:00.000-05:00

Oh, hey there.

So, I really doubt I'd ever in all seriousness write a post about this particular topic . . . however, recent occurrences and encounters have prompted me to do so.

First things first. What is a hipster? According to UrbanDictionary, a pretty unreliable source, a hipster is " a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter." Well, that seems pretty accurate, doesn't it? I have also come across the phrase "elitist hipster." I was curious as to what UrbanDictionary had to say about that. An elitist hipster is "[someone] who thinks they aren't hipsters, because they are educated, rich, spoiled, pretty, and of course, better than hipsters. However, they are nothing but useless . . . hipsters"

More or less a hipster

Now, a few fun stories about a hipster who I've had several, usually frustrating, encounters with.

One of my female friends happens to have a hipster suitor . . . she is in a happily committed relationship. Said hipster is not happy about the relationship and has repeatedly tried to interfere. He of course, was thwarted. I don't know if I've ever mentioned the fun story about a conversation that was had about me and my friendship with the aforementioned female, hereby known as Ducky. Ducky and I are very close and have a unique friendship, which makes the hipster suitor jealous. Anyway, long story short, I was basically threatened, which I find really funny, by the way, and was called "very handsy."

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, as this was second semester, and we find ourselves at another story with the same hipster. We had a poster sale here on campus and he more or less called people out for being "sheeple," (his word, not mine) and that people shouldn't buy certain posters for the sake of being cool; a Facebook comment battle ensued. Ducky's boyfriend, who shall be referred to as Scampers called the hipster out on being an elitist hipster. The hipster had a moment of passive aggressiveness* via Facebook where he was whining about being called an elitist hipster and was all "I'm going to change my lifestyle because people called me an elitist hipster douche. Blah blah, blah."

That's a really poor place to end my story, but it brings me to another point: being a hipster. No one aspires to be a hipster unless they really have a massive superiority complex and like looking down on people for their choices in music, literature, clothes, and so on. The hipster in this story is a self proclaimed hipster, which annoys everybody who isn't his friend . . . actually, it probably annoys everybody. An analysis of his Facebook, done through creeping since I'm not his Facebook friend, reveals several things: the first of which is that he isn't actually a hipster. He's "trendy." Since when are hipsters trendy? Aren't hipsters supposed to go against social norms and rebuke anything "trendy?" Another thing that sticks out as non-hipster are his choices in literature, film, and books (ironic, isn't it). No self respecting hipster (. . . let that sit there for a minute . . .) would dare be found watching such classics as "V for Vendetta," "Zombieland," "Star Wars," and especially "Harry Potter."

Now we turn our focus to the writer of this blog - Me. I've already shared this story with my close friends, but now it's the internet's turn for this gem of a story (I promise, I'm not a broken record . . . I just want to share this with the world). I recently had to spend several hours in the theatre here on campus as part of my theatre class and for being a part of the cast of The Foreigner. As we were waiting for the last piles of sawdust to be swept up, several of us were standing around, just talking. Another of my female friends, whom I shall refer to as Lover. Lover made on an offhand comment about me being a hipster, a claim which I immediately refuted. Some random female, who is in my theatre class disputed my refusal to accept the label of hipster. She proceeded to ask my various questions. The following passage is as close to as what was actually said.

TG (Theatre Girl): Where are you?

M (Me): The theatre.

TG: What color are your shoe laces?

M: Blue (Sidenote: My Chucks were grey).

TG: What color is your shirt?

M: Orange? What does that have to do with anything?

TG: Who's your favorite band?

M: I don't know?

TG: Have I ever heard of them?

M: Maybe? I don't know?

TG: You're a hipster.

Then some other guy mentioned my beard . . . I have a beard, by the way. In short, it was a very interesting conversation.

Alright team, I'm having a very, very meta moment writing this blog: A) Because it's a blog; 2) I was called a hipster all of forty eight hours ago; and Purple) I just tried to deny the claims of being a hipster.

* I realize by only referring to people by code names is pretty passive aggressive, or maybe I'm totally missing or misinterpreting the definition. Either way, just go with it.

I've wasted enough of your time about hipsters. One more thing, if I do happen to be a hipster, it's not like I go out of my way to actually be a hipster. I come by certain things naturally . . . I enjoy certain types of music, books, and movies that not everyone will understand or know. It happens.

Anyway. I've said all I can really or want to say about this.

With that, goodnight and sleep tight.

Thirty Days, Three

2011-08-11T23:26:00.000-05:00

Greetings and salutations.

Without further ado, I present to you the gripping final installment of my Thirty Days.

Day 21: Something you’re proud of -

What am I proud of? Plenty of things: Graduating high school, making it to college, not quitting something I loved when I really felt cheated and pushed aside, technically earning Honors at Graduation, but not receiving them (I'll post more about this toward the end of the post). I have plenty of things I'm proud of.

Day 22: What do you want your future to be like -

I want my future to be happy (yeah, yeah), I want to be doing something I love, as in acting, writing, or traveling. Overall, I just want to have a future, because some days I worry I won't have one.

Day 23: Favorite Movies and TV Show -

Favorite Movies: Harry Potter 1-7 (PT 1 and 2), almost any Disney movie, Tim Burton films, Guillermo del Torro films, Pirates of the Caribbean, I like a bunch of movies.
Favorite TV Shows: I like the trashy dating shows on Game Show Network, such as Baggage, I'm also a Gleek, I definitely enjoy American Dad, and a few other shows . . . I didn't watch very much during the school year.

Day 24: Something you’ve learned -

Specifically this year? To breath. I've also learned procrastination sucks, family drama likes to well up when you come home for break. Oh, and my spirit animal is an owl. Throughout my life? How to listen and be there for someone, how to not give up (perseverance and all that), and that last names make or break somebody.

Day 25: Something you are looking forward to -

At the moment, I'm looking forward to going back to school; I miss my friends and the school. Further ahead, I don't really know. I'm not particularly one to look incredibly far ahead. But I do look forward to earning my degrees, finding a career I love, traveling, and just exploring life.

Day 26: Your Dream Wedding -

Um, well, let's see . . . I haven't necessarily thought about it - ever.

Day 27: Photo of your ~~city~~ town-

This is the place I call home. It's small, but it's home. This is really all there is to it . . . just Main Street and the surrounding area. *BONUS FACT* All the street names in my town are in Danish with the English translations underneath.

Day 28: What stresses you out -

Failure, not being able to sleep, not being able to express myself, Day 22, family, friends, so on and so forth. I stress out often and it contributes to my inability to sleep at night (at normal hours), and that just stresses me out even more.

Day 29: Who is your hero -

My heroes are the typical ones everyone expects everyone to have, mom, Jesus, other family members, friends, etc, etc. I also really admire authors who have contributed to the world in a positive way.

Day 30: A picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge -

But not really

1. I have made the decision to change something about myself, positively.

2. I have had tons of fun working with the daycare kids.

3. I have gotten a futon for my room!

4. My fish has gotten new digs: a new hiding rock, and new plants.

5. I have made it about halfway through my reading list.

And that, readers, is my cheated Thirty Day Blog Challenge. I hope you enjoyed this, I did until I realized it involved making more lists within my list.

As promised, here is more explanation between Day 21 and the whole Honors thing. It doesn't necessarily paint me in the best light, but it happens.
So, during Graduation practice for the Class of 2010 (when I graduated), I was told I had Honors, meaning I would get the little ropey tassel thing to go over my stole. I was incredibly happy about that, it meant that my hard work had paid off. Now, we're at the actual ceremony and the graduates were preparing to walk and adding the stoles, tassels, and what not to our gowns. I arrived expecting to receive my golden Honor tassels, but that notion was put to a stop. Report cards had come out and I hadn't done as well as I could have (two B's of varying level). I had lost my Honors to two girls who had taken classes that weren't nearly as challenging as the ones I had taken my Senior year (read, they had taken art classes. ART CLASSES). Needless to say, I was ticked, and was ready to refuse to march and receive my diploma, but I was talked to by many members of my class (at least those who knew better) and acknowledged they knew I deserved the Honors over the other two girls.

I admit, East Central wasn't the greatest school ever, but it had never wronged me as badly as it did when I had my Honors stripped from me at Graduation because two girls took art classes and the classes weren't weighted. I'm still bitter about that and I know I shouldn't be, but I am (I'm also suspicious because East Central is notorious for using the last name card).

Anyway, that's enough of that. I could go on and on about certain resentments at certain last names, but I won't. Until next time, sleep tight.

Thirty Days, Two

2011-08-05T09:53:00.000-05:00

Greetings and salutations,

Previously on . . . Late Nights and Street Lights . . . you learned how I would reply to a series of semi-questions. Now, it is my privilege to present to you Part Two of this list, eleven through twenty:

Day 11: A quote you love -
That's a hard one . . . I'm a sucker for a good literary quote. One of my favorites though, comes from a certain bear. "Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering." - Winnie the Pooh

Day 12: Something you don’t leave the house without -
Easy; I never leave home without my cell phone (Droid Incredible), wallet, and generally my iPod (Nano, 4th Generation, in Green). I also never leave my house without clothes.

Day 13: Goals -

My goals? Well, I suppose I want to act professionally for a while (either in a major theatre city or over in Europe) and maybe be a published author, be it in newspaper, magazine, or a novel. I also want to travel, have a dog of my very own (not even kidding), and generally be a happy soul radiating positivity on the world.

Day 14: A picture of you last year – how have you changed?

Physically? Just a few minor, cosmetic alterations (piercings, tattoo, hair not cracked up most of the time) Mentally? Tons. College does that. Also, I have completely different people in my pictures this year.

Day 15: Death row meal -
While I tend not to think about my Death Row meal, for a multitude of reasons which I won't deal with here, I suppose my Death Row meal would probably be fruit . . . preferably of the citrus kind. Also, the juices of said citrus fruit.

Day 16: Your opinion about your body and how comfortable you are with it -

So, as most people who know me know I'm pretty small. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my body, sure there aren't a few small things I wouldn't mind having smoothed out, but you know, that happens. No one is absolutely one-hundred percent happy (okay, there are probably plenty of people who are) with their bodies'.

Day 17: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs -

1. Mumford and Sons - Thistle and Weeds

2. Taylor Swift - Teardrops on My Guitar

3. Linkin Park - New Divide

4. White Lies - Strangers

5. Mumford and Sons - Timshel

6. Adele - Don't You Remember

7. Sweeney Todd Movie Soundtrack - No Place Like London

8. The Bravery - Jack-O'-Lantern Man

9. Muse - I Belong to You (Mon Coeur S'Ouvre a Ta Voix)

10. Flyleaf - Break Your Knees

Day 18: Something you miss -

I miss being able to breath calmly and not worry about everything like I do now. No lie, it's like I have an anxiety disorder or something, it gets so bad. I really do miss that.

Day 19: Something you wish you were better at -

Well, obviously sleeping. I'm also really bad about taking the advice I give to other people for myself. Which by extension includes every amount of advice on romance, emotional stuff, academic stuff, and so on, and so forth.

Day 20: Something you wonder “What if…?” about -

I wonder "What if" about various scenarios in my life, I'm pretty selfish when it comes to "What if" scenarios. Particularly family things, and what I'd be like if I was an only child or if didn't live in Minnesota or anything like that. Occasionally I go into the future and think about my family and myself then. As a theatre major/nerd (sort of) I tended to cast plays and musicals at my high school . . . in my head.

And thus brings a conclusion to Part Two to my epic, three part saga (a la either Star Wars, although most people will ignore the second set of three). I hope you're enjoying this much insight into my head, reader, whoever you are.

Well, until next week, readers, sleep tight.

Thirty Days, One

2011-08-01T01:17:00.000-05:00

Greetings and salutations.

In this post, I've decided to do something unoriginal, possibly informative, and hopefully makes for an interesting post.

A little bit of background so that I can put the post into some context: I have this wonderful little thing called a StumbleUpon account. During my sleepless nights, I take to the internet and push the little Stumble button I have and it takes me to hundreds and hundreds of websites based upon my selected interests.

With that button, I found myself a little list and have decided to partake in a Thirty Day Blog Challenge, a la the Facebook Thirty Day Challenge. But, instead of thirty separate blog posts, I've split the list into the three posts worth of ten off the list. As such, these will probably be among my longer posts, if not the longest.

Without further ado, I present to you Part One of Three of the Thirty Day Blog Challenge.

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts -

My name is Andrew, and I have a blog, which you're reading.

1. I am the oldest of four children.

2. I can cross my eyes, wiggle my ears, and wiggle my nose

3. At the same time.

4. I have a birthmark similar in shape to a stegosaurus or a fist.

5. I was born in an Air Force base hospital.

6. I am a connoisseur of oranges and orange juice.

7. I wear many bracelets . . . I feel naked without them.

8. My knees pop often when I bend them to sit down.

9. I frequently have feet that are, as my mother eloquently puts it, "icebergs."

10. My main shoe of choice are Converse.

11. As much as I love to travel, I've never left the States.

12. My shoulder pops when I move it a certain way.

13. I have both of my ears pierced.

14. I will only let certain people cut my hair.

15. I'm bad about blogging, I almost don't know why I have one sometimes.

Day 2: Nicknames -

Andy, Andy-rew, J.C, Musical Hog, Rudd, and Pooh Bear. Four are from friends, two are from family. I think you can figure out which is which.

Day 3: Your first love -

In all honesty, I don't think I've had a first actual love. I'm kind of broken like that.

Day 4: Your parents -

Well, my mom is pretty fantastic. I don't really know what all to say about her that I haven't said before. It's back a few posts, somewhere. As for my dad, well, good question.

Day 5: What song inspires you -

It's Arise by Flyleaf. I'm inspired by it so much, I went and had some song lyrics tattooed on my ribs. Really, any song by Flyleaf inspires me.

Day 6: Pet peeves -
The word "dude."

Day 7: What makes you happy -

Music, friends, books, sleep, orange juice, family, and Baby Jesus. All in no particular order.

Day 8: A place you’ve traveled to and where else you want to travel -

I've been to Chicago, New Orleans, Florida (twice), and various states stopping for food and bathroom breaks, because I count those since I've spent a good amount of time there. I know that isn't much, but that's not bad considering I'm from a single income, family of five, from a very poor county in Minnesota. I want to travel through Europe, like backpacking and the like. I would also like to visit every state in the Union and maybe pilfer a license plate from each one.

Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend -

This one isn't entirely fair; I have many friends who I'd consider to be my "best friend." So, I'll see what I can manage.

Day 10: Something you’re afraid of -

Failure, letting people down, my future (sometimes), and I'd post a picture, but I absolutely refuse to Google this because I'm that afraid of it and I don't want a constant reminder of it on my blog. The un-Google-able image for me is the Crypt Keeper from Tales From the Crypt (For the record, I get nervous just thinking about it, let alone typing it). One of those long seated fears from my childhood that I can't seem to shake. Google it yourself if you want to see for yourself, I'll wait.

And that brings an end to Part One of my Thirty Day Blog Challenge. Technically, I'm cheating, but I really don't want thirty posts dedicated to just this. It also forces me to work my way back onto the schedule of a weekly post . . . since I haven't been doing it regularly for the past three months.

Till next time, sleep tight.

Books

2011-07-28T02:14:00.000-05:00

Oh, hey there readers.

So, as I have been on summer break, I have had an inordinate amount of time to do whatever I wish. During the year, I had less than a proper amount of time to read as much as I normally do.

This post is also a mildly brief summary of my summer . . . it mostly involves sleep. Mostly

At odd hours, like 3 AM to like 12 PM or variations thereof . . . even with attempts to fix my internal clock. Anyway, back to my point about my reading habits. I spent most of the month of May doing the above (see: the picture) and as such, didn't read AS much or as often. June was when I started reading more and looking for more books to read, and boy did I find myself some good books, at least in my own opinion.

After hearing such wonderful things about The Hunger Games series, I decided to pick it up and see if it was everything everyone said it was. Oh my Jesus. They (there are three books in the series) were fantastic reads and I couldn't put them down.

Unfortunately, I had about a week and a half between each book; I didn't want to spend all that money on a series I might not have liked. In between each book, I decided to read something else, one book was part of a series and the other was a one-off. I started the Harry Potter series, again, and then picked up a brilliant little book, Th1rteen R3asons Why (Thirteen Reasons Why); it was . . . very moving.

I thought it was a fantastic concept for a book, and after reading the questions to the author at the end of the book, it made so much sense and I thought it made the book even better, knowing he put the thought into why he wrote it the way he did.

I know that eleven books isn't much, especially considering the way I read, but I've shifted my attentions to other things . . . my priorities shifted as did my attention span. I did the whole reading thing, but it's difficult for me to do so when I have no real place to go that's nearby and quiet so I can spend hour upon hour reading in peace. I also have responsibilities around the homestead that increase as my siblings disappear for the two weeks that they do.

On the other hand, I have a list of books that I'm working my way through, slowly but surely. I think I'm reading through six books (I don't have an exact number), and one of them is the start of the series, of which I have the first three, and then I'm thinking of rereading another series that I have at home, so there's another seven right there. Long story short, I won't be at a loss for books anytime soon.

That's all I really have in the meantime that's related to the title of the post.

In unrelated news, I have had my flesh tattooed,

my other ear punctured,

I have a sweet job,

and I have an awesome bike.

Back to the original topic, I may or may not decide to write up summaries or reviews of the books I've read or something. It's another one of the decisions I'll flounder around on.

Well, with that, I suppose that's all I've got.

Until next time, sleep tight.

Pokémon

2011-07-09T01:21:00.000-05:00

Greetings and salutations. I have a fun story for you, whoever you are, and I hope you enjoy it.

The year was 1998. I was a wee six year old little boy. It was Christmas, and as a wee six year old, I was incredibly excited for Santa Claus to visit my house and bring me presents. Christmas morning came and I could hardly contain myself. I wanted my presents, and I wanted them right away. I tore open my presents. Okay, not really tore, I was a very clean child, I didn't make many messes and whatnot. Anyway, I opened my presents and there it was. A Game Boy Color.

I was incredibly excited and was very proud of my very first personal gaming device. But at that I didn't have any games . . . yet. I found my way to two smaller wrapped boxes. Under the decorative wrapping paper, I found amazing wonders, 151 of them.

I was super excited to go on an adventure through Kanto with the very first 151 Pokémon. I remember going through the gyms, having trouble with the first two because I picked Charmander as my starter in Red Version (and Squirtle in Blue Version), taking down the nefarious Team Rocket, defeating the Elite Four and raising an amazing team (rather, amazing teams, since I had both versions) of Pokémon. I don't remember every Pokémon I caught or my exact team, but I still had an amazing time.

Over time, I left my teams behind as I just stopped playing the games. I never did play Yellow Gold, Silver, or Crystal, the next games in the series, I did manage to get a hold of Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, the "reboot" of the series. I remember those games significantly better because they were only six, seven years ago. I didn't enjoy those as much as the first games, but they definitely had playability.

It would be another few years when I would revisit my beloved Kanto. I received one of the remakes of the first generation, LeafGreen . I again found myself playing through the gyms, the caves, and those scoundrels of Team Rocket. I managed to build the best team ever, at least in my opinion; I had all three starters, Alakazam, Dragonite, and Pidgeot.

Sigh, good times, good times.

Now at nineteen years old, I have again begun another adventure with the newest of the Pokémon. While Black is pretty fantastic, it won't hold the same place in my memories as the originals, but it is a very solid addition to the series. I even went and purchased SoulSilver, which is the remake of Silver, and Platinum, just to indulge my inner six year old. I have no regrets in doing so, it makes my summer interesting and gives me something reasonably productive to do. That and reading, but that's another post for another time.

So, a quick recap, using pictures! Pictures are very useful.

I have played the following Pokémon games:

And I regret nothing. I have had plenty of fun with these games, it was definitely worth investing my time and effort into these games.

So, until next time, sleep tight.

The Second Excuse

2011-05-14T23:51:00.000-05:00

Greetings and salutations.

Once again, I am afraid I have to make excuses and as such, I will not be putting up a new post this week . . . and I am unsure of when my next post will be up. I do have one in the works, however, I being the individual I am, have been forced to preempt my blog for something more important: life and my future.

Until next time, sleep tight

Summer

2011-05-03T23:29:00.000-05:00

Greetings and salutations,

Holy news week, Batman! So much has happened, and it's barely May!

We've had ourselves a wedding.

The world's most wanted man was found, and killed.

And in the mean time, I've sat at home, in my pajamas, playing Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.

Because I've been doing . . . well, nothing, it can only mean one thing: I'm officially done with my first year at Concordia. I did it, I made it! And it only cost me $36,000 to do it! The price I pay for a private, four year, liberal arts, Christian college. I have three more years . . . and what a trip it'll be.

ANYWAY, this is not a post for reminiscing about the past eight months, this is more or less about the next four months. Sort of. Or whatever random tangent I happen to fall into. Eh, we'll see.

My plans for the summer

Work - Paying 36,000 dollars a year for an education isn't cheap and I need the money anyway.
Sleep - Seems counter-productive, but I really like sleep and seeing as how I didn't manage that much this past year, it's make up time.
Alter my body - This means tattoos and piercings! Or something along these lines. I do want another piercing and I do want to be drawn upon with permanent ink. So, we'll see.
Give blood - At least one more time before I partake in number 3.
Hanging out with friends - This includes Cobbers, TECies, and people from East Central, hereby known as Eagles. The Eagles category includes any East Central alumnus.
Make everything up as I go - Which is generally how I make my plans.
Blog - Maybe less frequently. Probably. Maybe. Meh. Kind of flaky on this decision.
Game - A little ambition of mine is to work my way through the Legend of Zelda games. Fun little story, I've never actually beaten any of the Legend of Zelda games I've started. I usually reach a spot and leave it for a bit, and when I go back to play my game was deleted. Which really torques me; some people have no respect or decency.

It shall be a glorious four months of summer. I have high hopes that this summer shall be easily one of the best. Then it's back to Concordia with some of my favorite people and back to floor 6!!! In a room of my own! I have many, many plans. One such plan includes a hammock.

Or something along the lines I can transform into a nest like area. My bed was pretty much a nest of pillows and blankets last year and it was fantastic. I want to take that and make it better. Because I'm a being of simple comforts, I enjoy a comfortable bed and sleeping area. I can't help it. When I do sleep, I like to be comfortable. Although, I do find a way to sleep almost anywhere . . . because I can nap really anywhere.

So, with that, I suppose I should say till next time, sleep tight.