Return of the Super Super Senior!

Return of the King sounds much better, but my familial claims to regency died out centuries ago, so I will settle for my actual titles, which also consist of 'weirdo' and 'Best Co-non-worker', titles that I feel are fairly accurate.
The news since my last post; I am old, back at school, loved by huskies, and forgetful and forgettable. These stories will play out in no particular order, so just try and enjoy them.
I will start with the tale of the Husky. I had a lunch appointment during my unemployed week of August 19th-August 23rd, and I decided that a walk would be a lovely thing for me. I left my house about an hour before lunch was to begin. It was a beautiful day, with the sun beating down and hardly a cloud in the sky. I am not one that is generally partial to such days, but after spending almost the entirety of summer indoors, I was welcoming of the change. I was just over a mile from home when a dog comes running down a driveway in my direction. As is my standard reaction when this occurs, I immediately dropped into a crouch, my weight balanced on the balls of my feet, hands up ready to defend myself from the immanent attack of the... oh, wait, that is my reaction when a squirrel pounces. Dog; stop moving, gentle voice, hands at my sides. So this gorgeous girl comes toward me, tongue lolling gently out, and moves right past me to the terrace where she proceeds to perform her draining duties with utmost efficiency. Deciding she was a good dog, I began to walk away, but after only a few steps I glanced back to see the dog had finished, and she seemed to think it was a good idea to cross the street... cause why not? Well, the car that was barreling down the street disagreed, but there was naught I could do as I saw this magnificent creature about to be splattered by an SUV. Luckily, the car had good brakes, and began to slow immediately, and the dog broke into a trot, and no one as amiss. I thought it lucky, and continued to walk with a new idea that maybe it wasn't such a good dog after all. So I proceed down the street, when the husky saunters back in front of me, crossing the street yet again in front of traffic. Then she does it again, and again, and again. She ended up crossing the street (for those who are counting) 5 times in less than a block. I was getting dirty looks from drivers for a dog that I was in no way connected to. Well, I decide I need to lose the dog, so I cut through a park, and the dog happily runs to the playground where chillins and parents are playing. I can't even see the dog anymore when I start to leave the park, but as I begin to cross the street, I look over, and there is the pretty little thing running full throttle towards me. She follows me for nearly a mile, so, in desperation, I call every local number I can think of asking for the digits of the Sheboygan Humane Society. I finally get a hold of them, and as this poor, confused puppy wandered down the middle of Superior Avenue, I begged the call lady to send someone to get this dog. With the help of a polite woman named Anne, who pulled over after nearly hitting the dog, the dog was eventually returned to its owner, and I was able to arrive only slightly late to my luncheon.
Moving on to point two; memory. I know that I am forgettable. I left my wallet in my parents car and didn't realize it until I made it all the way back to school and couldn't swipe in to my dorm. I almost left for Sacrament meeting without putting my pants on while on my mission. I neglected to bring my book with me on an 8 hour round trip via coach bus... and then discovered I had forgotten that I moved it to another pocket. I cannot remember ANYONE'S names. Okay, if I was dang good friends with you, I got this, but I at least remember that I should remember their names. I am now back at school (to be embellished later) and have run some people that do not remember me. On the whole, many are friendly and welcoming that I am back, but there is a particular instance where one person seemingly refuses to think back to when we used to talk. I wonder if I offended her... then again, all we had in common was an affinity for Disney movies.
So I am a twenty four year old, and my first day back at school, a junior, who is a Mentor, comes up to me in the cafeteria, asking 'So how is your first day?'... ummmmm, wasn't exactly sure how to respond, but Alex is a nice kid, so I let him down slowly. I was wondering if I would be able to pass myself off as a freshman, and even 6 years older than most of them, I guess I can!
Well, I have put off my homework far too long. Anyone want to research Spanish Imperialism for me? Anyone? No?... okay...

Summer vacation is OVER!

Now that I am no longer covering shifts for the sick or vacationing, and will no longer be working over time, it is time to catch up on the last 3 months.
First, it was a good summer. Not great; I didn't get out much, spent a ton of time indoors, didn't hang out with friends a lot, and missed a couple family vacations. But there were definite positives.
My brother Tom came in for a visit. It was very touching. He came out to us, which was not at all unexpected. He made it a point to be open and verbal, and we all simply loved him a little bit more for it. The rest of his visit I spent working, though, which put a damper on things.
Also, my sister's youngest, Silas, has been growing like a weed. He is a little squealer now, and creaks and croaks at the phone and his brother all the time. He is adorable.
My younger sister is getting set to go to college, and I am really glad that she is taking this step, because a year ago I was unsure if she would.
My brother Brandon in stressing his way through Med School and has been begging me to do any semblance of fantasy football with him. It is his biggest release, and he had a countdown to our draft all the way back in June. I love that dude.
For me personally, though, I am getting set to go back to school. I have gotten all signed up for classes and gotten my housing all sorted. I was hoping to be able to room with a freshman, but I guess SNC changed the policy this year that first years had to room with first years. I have a great Monday and Friday schedule with only one class and it starts at noon. I have a night class Tuesday and Thursday, meaning I really have about 8 hours of classes during the day Tuesday through Thursday. I love it!
Also, Church yesterday was incredible. The three talks given during our Sacrament meeting all dealt with questions or concern that had been going through my head. Each one was different, but the common threads were there and obvious to me. The Bishop, Bro. Slawny and Bro. Torres all said things that spoke to my heart and helped direct me. It was incredible.
Last; Irish Fest is AMAZING! Gaelic Storm rocks my socks, and also heard a new group named Goitse. There were Irish wolfhounds, terriers and spaniels, men in kilts, green everywhere (though in large part they were simply Packer jerseys), and lots and lots of beer. I think I may go next year!

Curse you Nicholas Sparks!

It took me 3 hours to clean my room, and within three days it was already a maze again. I know exactly what my problem is, too; clothes. I don’t take the time to hang up my work shirts, or fold my jeans and put them away. Instead, everything ends up draped over chair backs and from my bunk bed. When I come back with a basket of freshly laundered clothes, they end up sitting in the basket and I just dig through it to find my attire for the day. My shoes pile up because I don’t want to take the time to go into the closet to put them away, sorted nicely into running and dress shoes, strictly casual and multi purpose. Everything I wear ends up piling up, and then I don’t want to deal with it once it gets there, but I think it isn’t a problem before it piles up. In other words, and in a much shorter version, I am not overly organized.

A less stressful mess would be the papers and books that lay strewn around my room. I have old workouts, letters, brainstormed ideas for books or short stories, doodles, random notes I took about animal populations in 11^th century Scandinavia, a motley assortment of novels and series of books that I have yet to finish ranging from Jane Austin to Bernard Cornwell to Rahl Dahl, and then the ever present emails that I found to funny to get rid of. I just need to sort all this crap; the clothes and the papers. I need a system that works for me. As long as it works, I should be okay with it. It needs to be simple, straight forward, effective, and lazy. Or maybe I should just use my hangers and trash can more.

I am also doing a very dangerous thing for a 23 year old single male; I am reading Nicholas Sparks. Now before you point and laugh too hard, know that I am already dying of embarrassment as it is a little bit. But what makes it bad (instead of simply red face flushing humility) is that the characters seem to be so perfect for each other… and then I want that… and it just isn’t realistic! For a guy to expect a woman who is strong, yet caring and vulnerable, or a woman to hope beyond hope to find that sensitive yet manly individual is most likely setting them up for disappointment. I know it does happen, but most of the time it doesn’t. Now, since I is a Sparks novel someone is obviously going to die, and I haven’t gotten to that part quite yet, but I am sure I will bawl my eyes out when it does happen, and that I am not looking forward to. And regarding expectations, it not only sets unreasonably high requirements that I may hold for my future partner, but dang do I feel bad about myself. So far in this book, the guy has a perfectly trained dog (I can hardly get mine to sit), he walked across the country (I have only ever gone about 25 miles in one day), he served in the Marine Corps (pretty dang manly, if I do say so myself), fixed the brakes on a car (I know how to fill up the gas tank), plays EVERY FRIGGIN INSTRUMENT OUT THERE (can’t even read bloody music), and is caring, sweet, attentive, sensitive, loving, passionate, knowledgeable, and all around friggin awesome. It’s like being constantly up against Mr. Darcy, but without the character flaws or pride, or prejudice (haha, see what I did there?) that causes him to be a grumpy cat in the sight of others. I think I would rather be standing next to Homecoming and Prom King, the captain of the soccer team (we didn’t have a successful football team, so I left them out of this), and those two foreign exchange students that everyone thinks are, like, oh so dreamy. At least they are all fallible people and not these perfectly emotionally stable creatures that have bodies described as ‘a waist of nothing but muscle and skin,’ too… balls. And look at that, my self-esteem just called. It’s at the airport and wants to know if I want a post card from Sicily.

On a bright note, I was able to get a couple days of sun, mostly due to football practice, and my skin is maintaining that slightly reddish brown tint that I like so much. I keep thinking I am ahead of schedule with getting a good base for summer, but then two things come to mind. First, I work indoors all the time, and will only rarely get out, so having a tan is nowhere near important for me, in all reality. Second, it is June this weekend. I am not ahead of schedule, but it has been rainy and dreary so much I continue to think it is only April. Well, so much for ending on a good note.

Ender Excitement

The biggest portion of my life right now is class selection. That is right. I am going through the near arduous task of picking what subjects to suffer through after not being a student for more than two years. I have also added a Major to my course load, but really it is simply upping my History minor to a major.  If everything goes as planned, I will be able to finish up everything in a normal two semesters.

Now come the questions though; I need to know which natural science course to take (yeah, I still haven’t taken my GS4) as well as an Upper level Biennium 1. None of the upper religion classes seem exceptionally appealing to me, and only a few are even moderately appealing. Can people just start throwing me some suggestions on which courses are easy, profs to avoid, simple labs, inexpensive text books, etc. I don’t want to head back to school with an overly strict ‘be exactly obedient you simple students’ teacher. I know it is college, but I can still go through it relaxed and a bit laid back. It got me this far.

Some other news includes the graduation of my cousin Andrew. He finished up his senior year at Notre Dame academy in GB and looks forward to spending some time in Sheboygan this summer. I will be excited to have him around. I have some fun workouts that I want him to be a part of. We will be testing him out this next weekend when he joins our Saturday morning group. Last week for the Satruday workout, as I mentioned in my fitness blog, Mark and I started the workout alone, so we figured we would throw ourselves into the 300 workout. Mark made it to the end of the ab routine, took a minute break, then heaved up whatever he had put down so far that morning behind the barn. By the time he tossed, my legs were already shaking fairly uncontrollably. Most everything was tough to do, but I found that a static hold of the weight was particularly troublesome; it is something I never train at, so I am going to tray and lock out my arms for a couple team exercises this weekend, and see how tough and challenging that is. Also, the plain old deadlift. I have not done a great deal of dead lift recently for a few reasons, but between the floor wipers and deadlift, my back and abs, my whole friggin core, is still rather sore. But I completed the workout in 18:29 on my first try.

I am also reading Ender’s Game again. I found someone who would read it this summer, and I am hoping they like it so that they will go see the movie with me come November, but I decided I wanted to read it before I lend my book out, so I am trying to sneak reading time in wherever I can, and I’m doing a pretty good job of it, as long as I stay awake. I love this book so much.

this is last weeks. this weeks is coming soon!

What do you do when a Special Agent calls you? When he wants to set up a meeting? When he wants to go through a background check? Well, I got three Calls from a Special Agent this week asking me if I would be willing to meet him and go through a background check. Ummmmm, excuse me? I have thoughts fleeting through my mind that I am Keanu Reeves from Matrix, or James McAvoy in Wanted. I’m not even a pencil pusher in my office. I stand at my teller window and smile at everyone that walks past, cordially handling people’s transactions as they walk up or call in. A well trained monkey might very well be able to do my job. But a well trained monkey doesn’t get a call from Special Agents. What if I am being recruited to S.H.I.E.L.D.? Do I have super powers?!?! Oh, my gosh, I’M CHRIS EVANS!!! (looks down at slightly sagging belly and catch a glimpse of slender arms and frizzy, flyaway hair in the mirror) Nope, not Chris Evans. Green Lantern, maybe? No aliens means that is a no go. Maybe I got bit by a Spider! (reassess stomach) I’m no Peter Parker. I guess I’m just some guy Special Agent (name goes here) feels needs to be interviewed. Instead, I am simply a wannabe.

And since I am such a wannabe, I will have the world know; I wannabe a SPARTAN!!! So I freakin’ love history as it pertains to the human confrontation that shaped the world we live in. I appreciate stories of political intrigue, and really enjoy the economic concepts that drove so many of the changes, how religion impacted the immigration of masses influencing boundaries, changing world powers. But the lives of the warriors really has a draw for me. How did Viking berserkers live day-to-day, and train for the pressures of battle? What was the upbringing of Mongolian horseman under Ghengis Khan? Were Spartans of Immortals or Samurai simply cold and calculating men so ingrained in the duties and responsibilities of their calling that there was room for naught else? I am currently reading Gates of Fire, a novel about the Battle of Thermopylae, and I am loving it. It is the story of a single boy, a Greek whose home was destroyed by a false ally. As he departs his razed city, a man, delirious with fear and maddened by grief, screams out to  him that the city would have been saved by but a score of Spartan, by a single Spartan. After living as a cityless free born for two years, ravaging the farms he could, at one point being caught and nailed by his hands to a board, he eventually travels to Sparta, believing that in them he will gain the courage, bravery, and training he needs to avenge the loss of his family when he was 10. I am coming near the climax of the story, and it is engaging and informative. It is like The Saxons Tales was for Norse warriors, or Birth of an Empire was for Mongols. Or Ender’s Ga- oh wait, sorry, that one is futuristic fiction. Sorry. But I am currently on my Spartan draw, and I, at this time, want to be the elite warrior of the Greek city states of old.

I would also like to talk about SNC graduation. It was held this past Sunday (Mother’s Day), and I was able to make it up for a few parties, and I got to see some people I hadn’t seen since I left, and some I hadn’t seen since my freshman year (Kaleigh!). I got to hug my school mom, visit with my Zumba instructor, hang out with my old staff, re-visit with my old forensics competition, watch Harry Potter with future graduate mates, and spend some quality time with my family line. I definitely did not get to see everyone, but there is next year for that. I will be back, my friends, on the beautiful campus beside the (probably toxic and mutated) Fox River.

For Mother’s Day, my mommy got up too early for me to make her breakfast, so I simply poured her a bowl of cereal, and, in quoting a Gaelic Storm song, asked if she could get a spaceship in her cereal bowl. I laughed at her telling her I could not do that for her, but when she turned her back I grabbed the nearest bottle of carbonated flavored water and began to cut out fins and wings from a cereal box (I don’t think I have ever typed cereal this many times in my life!), and taped them all together and made a fun little spaceship for my mum. She loved it. The only problem was that the cap was the nose, so it would only be able to go backwards. Oh well! It is still sitting in the fridge, cardboard and all. Well, at Festival today, a man was checking out and dropped a bottle of Fanta. It landed on its tip. It exploded and shot across the floor, straight into our teller counter. Bloody orange spaceships…

Inspire me, my friends!!!

For the same reason that my workout blog was postponed, my regular blog was put on pause. I have not found that I have been very productive or proactive in any way. I have attempted to be rather lackadaisical. I started watched The Sarah Connor Chronicles on Amazon Instant Video. I have been going to bed rather early (previous to 10 3 or 4 times in the last 2 weeks). I am even lacking the drive to get up and eat some days because I have convinced myself that the couch is simply too comfy.

I believe this might have stemmed from finishing season 6 of Doctor Who. As with most any series that I obtain an appreciation for, I find myself wanting. When My mom and I finished Chuck, we simply looked at each other and physically connected “let’s just start over and pretend we never finished.” After I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, I looked at all the books I had arrayed on my shelves, and gave in to my refusal to admit the end. I re read the whole series. I am constantly watching movies again, re-reading books, going back through my favorite TV series, because I miss the stories, the excitement, the characters, their struggles. I want to be Neal Caffrey, or Charles Bartowski, sit through a Charms class with Professor Flitwick, or patrol Ahnk-Morpork with Carrot Ironfundersson, or, or, or, or.

I guess what this means is that I find my life too boring. FAAAAAARRRR too boring. So I ask the people who read this to give me ideas or inspiration for their favorite activity or best lifestyle choice, or whatever it is that brings the most joy and excitement into their daily life, cause work and exercise with food and sleep sprinkled in just isn’t doing it for me anymore.

i need to be regular!

Work has been rather taxing as of late. Usually, it was Tuesdays that I would get off. I would work open to close Monday and Thursday, and shorter shifts Wednesday and Friday. Saturday I would either work open to close or a 10-3 shift, depending on who else was working. Now, considering our staffing issues, I have a very sporadic schedule. I had Monday off two weeks, ago, Wednesday last week, Thursday this week, Tuesday next week, then Wednesday the following week, and I the nights that I close now include Tuesdays on a regular basis, meaning that I am unable to attend rugby practice 3 of the next 5 weeks. I can't get into any patterns. I wake up every day unsure of what is going on. It kinda sucks.

Kilts; they are so wonderfully comfortable. They allow for near complete range of motion. They are semi-stylish in that odd ‘that doesn’t go with anything, so it casually clashes with everything’ type way. A kilt is also great attire for a formal occasion. All you have to do is know which family tartan it is, research their history a little bit, and wear a bow tie and some flashy sneakers with it. I did just that this weekend. It was once again time for the annual Roncalli High School Auction. I was once again auctioned off as a server for ‘The Best Seat in the House.’ It is located in the middle back of the room and allows an unimpeded view of the entire room from a comfortable set of lawn chairs and a table. I hustled around through the entire event for a few hours at the beck and call of Chris and Rick, a wonderfully fun and generous couple who invited most anyone who was walking past to have a drink with them. They had a great deal of fun bidding on more oral auction items and eventually invited me to have a seat at the table with them as the oral auction drew to a close. We discussed other fund raisers they have helped organize, their personal business ventures, and they were kindly interested in my goals and plans for the future. It was a very fun evening, and I look forward to next year when I can do it all again.

I also had football practice this weekend. It was a lot of fun, and I took the majority of snaps at h-back, a combination of running back and receiver. I had a few simply bad drops in warm ups, but performed better in game simulation drills. I found I really need to work on my jumping skills. I have a pathetic vertical and got over thrown on at least 3 occasions, but another 3 inches would have given me enough height to reach it, though probably still not enough body control to bring in the catch. I find that I am now rambling slightly, but being able to spend three hours on a sunny afternoon practicing football was a ton of fun. I now have a perfect farmers tan, compliments of the compression shirt I wore. My arm goes from white to red on a perfect line of my upper arm. I am bruised, sore, and scabbed. My legs were shaking and my busted foot was screaming with pain, but I had a great deal of fun, learned a lot, and met some guys that I had not been introduced to before. I am very excited for the upcoming season.

And then there is the spring thaw. I drove up to Green Bay two weeks ago and there were still bodies of water covered in ice. Then, 10 days later, I was running without a shirt… at night. The swing in temperature, and the lack of rain, the last few days has resulted in a fabulous change of mood (and the aforementioned sun burn). The sun is currently shining, but it is now cloudy… now sun- no, wait, clouds. Oh, whatever. It is partly sunny.

I also filled my car up last week, and I am getting about 29mph. Not bad for a car old enough to drive itself. It gets a little 'jumpy' when it rains, though, and given that it has been rainy 80% of the time I drive it since I bought the car, it has been jumpy quite often. I don't like that. It makes it look like I can't drive stick. And I can drive stick.
The best news I have heard in a few weeks is that my dear friend Elder Berg might be able to come home earlier than expected (though not in the same way I cam home early). Because he left at the beginning of January, he might be sent home previous to Christmas! I would love to see him as early as possible, cause I really miss him, but I am so proud of him and wish him the best. He is doing a fantastic thing by serving his mission. It is enriching his life so much, and I can tell that from every letter I get from him. It is so wonderful to see those changes in his life, and see the improvements, and yet he remains himself in most every facet. I felt the changes of a mission, and I believe in the positive influence of the people you serve, as well as those you serve with. I know that the Spirit change bring about a change of heart, and the inner desires of your very core can change through the influence of the Gospel. I love the Church, the Gospel, the Atonement, and our Lord and Savior. I am so glad that I know what I need to do to be happy, to feel secure, and to fulfill my greatest dreams.
My mom recently taught a Sunday School lesson where she asked a room full of 13-18 year olds what their five year plans were. The answers varied rather widely, but they each had a rough idea of what they wanted to accomplish. She then asked what things could occur in their lives to throw their plans out of synch. The answers cam again, and there were plenty of them. She then asked "What is your eternal plan?" Essentially, where do you want to be for time and all eternity? The answers were very similar. The followup question was what can change these plans? The conclusion the class came to was that a lot can happen in the world to change your short and even long term plans, but if you set your eternal goal, outside forces are irrelevant. The choices you make to achieve eternal joy is a lifestyle, the small and simple decisions made every single hour of every day. They are not things that can be forced upon you or seized from you. Nothing can prevent you from living your life and making your choices.
Unless you get drugged or brainwashed, of course, but I don't think that counts as you making choices, then.