Summer's Here

I've been doing a lot of thinking about how the next couple of months are going to pan out. My summer's going to be pretty limited this year, what with time-munchers such as a mission trip, a leadership conference, Governor's Scholar Program, and, potentially, work.

For the moment, however, I'm listening to music, reading books, and spending time with friends, since it appears that those activities will be the first to get cut once I set foot into the gauntlet of my summer events.

I've been fingering the flame
like tomorrow's martyr.
It gets harder to believe.

-Over the Rhine "All I Need Is Everything"

I really can't complain though. I think everything will be a blast once I get into the swing of things.

...Once I get into the swing of things...

First thing's first... Thursday, most of my church's youth leave for a mission trip in Atlanta, GA. I was almost dreading it at first, but as it's gotten closer, God's been slowly revealing to me that I can handle it. A smaller, though still superficial, note to this event is that I'm really looking forward to spending time with some of my friends from my church. It seems like I see them less and less...

Secondly is the leadership conference in Louisville. I'm not exactly sure what all this entails aside from me getting to know my fellow KY TSA officers, but I'm looking forward to it as a sort of distraction nonetheless.

Thirdly is the Governor's Scholar Program. This monster is going to ingest five weeks of summer and desert me in a small town across the state. It's not so sinister as I may be making it out to be though. I get to study "Creative Writing and Literature" which is something I'm sure I'll enjoy, and it's a sample of how college away from my hometown is going to be, which is how I believe I'll prefer college, to be honest.

Nothing against my hometown, but a change of scenery would be nice.

My only real apprehension, really, is that it will be my first taste of independence. Doing my own laundry, going to church without my family, sharing living space with people I've never met; It intimidates me a little bit.

Lastly is work. I have nothing against my place of employment or the people there, but my role as a worker there is to exact thoughtless labor. I'm not saying I'm above that, it's been my job description for the last two summers, but it makes me feel terrible. That's just my personality; if I'm going to bother doing something, it has to be something I think about or I just feel incredibly hollow the entire time and end the day miserable.

...Maybe I'm just being a baby about it...

Problem with finding a different job is that my grandfather got me this one and I'm afraid he'd take turning it down personally; and it pays well, so everyone else would also point, stare, name-call, etc.

Thankfully though, I only have a cumulative of three weeks this entire summer during which I can work (supposing I don't figure something out).

Why to Periodically Clean Your Keyboard

I started noticing some fuzz growing in between the keys, so pried the keys off and found three years worth of lint and hair... pretty disgusting... click to check out the full-rez grossness.

War and Seats

Shift your attention to the folded bleachers surrounding you the next time you find yourself chilling in a stadium. Thousands and thousands of individually numbered seats their own sections and their own areas. In effect, these seats each have a name, a consecutively numbered name, but a name nonetheless.

I wonder if each of these seats have ideas? They must have memories! They’ve been sit on by a whole gamut of individual sports fans for years! How can you go through something like that without having some bizarre memories!

I wonder what seat 15 row 12 section 103 wall AB would think about all of this nonsense? Maybe it’s best friend is seat 14. Perhaps it has a crush on seat 8 in row 11, but that seat is madly in love with some chair seat way over along wall BC... C’est la vie 15-12-103-AB... C’est la vie...

I can see him from here, way up there from the floor... surrounded by, as I said, thousands and thousands of other seats. What makes him so special? They’re all the same... one big homozygous society of bleachers who realize that the chair seats will never truly accept them as equals.

But what makes them unique is their experiences. For instance, the seats along AB and DA are used to home team fans taking root in their personal space during basketball season, whereas BC and CD are used to a more diverse set of game-mates. This results in the ABDA seats obtaining a conservative mentality, far removed from the idea of rooting for anyone but the Racers and who detest the thought of any two colors aside from gold and navy coming into contact with one another.

Conversely, the BCCD seats have adopted a more liberal mentality, accepting any new radical idea that comes across their path. Being that they can’t exactly move to experience life for themselves, they just accept every radical color combination that’s thrown at them.

This results in a red-state/blue-state phenomena. Inciting poor national relations within the stadium. Fortunately for us all,
however, their aforementioned lack of mobility has prevented civil war, and they just shout at one another when the security guard goes to sleep.

Interesting place, stadiums... I’ve been awake too long...

goodnight again

It’s May again.

The only association I should make is that you’re getting ready for prom.

If your dropout plans don’t go through, right?

She does look like Shrek!

Just jokes.

I'm ahead of you… you should see things from where I stand.

By all means, take the lighter.

What if our parents hadn’t screwed up our lives? I’d sooner not known you than have things as they are.

For what it’s worth: You are right, I was very immature.

Does the number thirty-seven stay with you as it does me?

I’m sorry for making fun.

I suppose we’re proficient secret keepers.

She misses you.

So does she.

And him.

And even him.

And I think about you every day.

Three years… Time flies…