Hello sir, nice to see you.

Something inside me woke up today...even though I am exhausted.  When I came home after my day was done I actually opened the closet, put my gloves on the shelf, put my hat on the shelf, hung up my jacket, went to my bedroom closet and hung up my sports jacket, hung up my tie, and then finished it off by hanging up the black dress shirt I wore today.  Now to spill that back over to the rest of the apartment.  If only I could just throw it all out and start over with what I need...although I think I am gong to avoid another large purge for a while since I ended up really needing something that I threw away during the last purge.

Will Model 4 Cash

Recently I inquired about possible doing some modeling for an art class.  The pay is fairly decent for what you do and that little bit of extra cash would not hurt.  Of course, there is the whole getting up in front of everyone and being focused enough to stand in a single position while not moving for an extended period of time while being fairly naturally dressed.  "Naturally dressed" meaning wearing no clothes.  I have heard it is all fairly civil and during breaks the model gets to walk around and look at everyone's paintings.  I even have heard of artists making a deal with the model to purchase the artwork for a fairly decent price once a grade has been given.  That would definitely be something for a private collection.

At first I thought about mentioning this on Facebook but then I figured this is probably one of those more private matters meant for those that check this site rather than having it just pop up on everyone's news feed.

How to accidently fix a computer...

First a little exposition:
-Iris bit my power cord and exposed wires.
-I had fun putting my fingers over the exposed wire and watching it light up behind my thumb.
-Eventually my computer's internal webcam died.
-Bought a new webcam.
-New Webcam caused the computer to experience the "blue screen of death" at least three times.
-Researched the webcam and found out that that model is prone to causing computers to crash.
-Tried to recover computer to an earlier time...I do not remember why.
-Computer would not let me due to an error on the hard drive.
-After running a diagnostic (thanks to Will for the help) I realized that I could not fix the issue and that it may be a physical drive issue.
-Decided to back up a large chunk of my data just in case the issue becomes fatal for my computer.
-All was fine until I took my computer to school and let it shutdown at 17% battery power.
-That night when I got home it would start up but would not load past the "POST" which in my case is the ASUS logo.

Which now leads me to the reason of the post.  How I accidentally fixed my computer...I hope.
Step 1: Remove Hard Drive
Step 2: Return Hard Drive to computer
Step 3: Power On (not fixed)
Step 4: Receive Hard Drive from Will
Step 5: Remove Current Hard Drive
Step 6: Replace with Will Hard Drive
Step 7: Power On (not fixed)...silly me forgot to put in the recovery discs
Step 8: Put in Recovery Discs
Step 9: Change boot order to boot from DVD first
Step 10: Power On (not fixed)...still freezes at the exact same spot
Step 11: Continue to repeat process until you are satisfied/defeated and decide to try something else
Step 12: Disable "Quiet Boot
Step 13: Jot down detailed account to mention to Will
Step 14: Realize that the Hard Drive might not actually be the issue...
Step 15: Put the Original Hard Drive back in
Step 16: Jot down the difference between the two boot processes
Step 17: Now feel pretty certain that the Hard Drive is not the issue
Step 18: Remove the battery to look for any defects
Step 19: Return the battery to the computer
Step 20: Power On (not fixed)
Step 21: Forgot to take the recovery disc out of the computer which needs to be on to take it out
Step 22: Power On
Step 23: Remove Disc
Step 24: Notice "Windows Loading"
Step 25: Computer Fixed...?

Yeah so I am a bit confused but apparently through all of that mess the computer is running again.  I think I am going to leave it at home from now on and continue to take hand written notes.  I am definitely leaving it plugged in and not shutting it down tonight.

Wake me up when September ends...

Seriously, because I can not take another year of "Remember 9/11".  I honestly dread that phrase and the people that bring it up.  Let me know when a group rises up with the motto "Forget 9/11" or "It is time to show respect and move on" and I will for sure be there.  I am glad that it is a Sunday tomorrow.  That means I can lock myself in my apartment and pretend it is not still occurring beyond my door...until rehearsal.  I really hope no one brings it up at rehearsal.  I think the deeper meaning behind why I feel this way is because of all the "false" patriotism that it spreads.  They call it patriotism but for most of them it is just a sense that arose for their apparent need for vengeance and self-justification at the expense of lives other than their own.  If you can not tell, this day is one of my annual angry/annoyed days and will be until people put history in the history books and leave it there.  I almost totally forgot about it until I saw my Facebook News feed being assaulted with their "I was at [blah blah blah] when [blah blah blah] happened."

DUI...again

Well, looks like I will no be having my car finished being sold for a while again.  Apparently the guy was pulled over or another DUI.  Which means he may be in there for even longer this time since it was only last month he was pulled over.

When I put my Blazer up for sale there will be no payment plan this time.  I will only sell it with one payment.  That way I can avoid this headache because you never truly know the person you are selling your vehicle to.

Acting and Me

As many of you know, I personally love acting.  I enjoy the ecstasy that comes along with playing someone else.  Ecstasy as in the standing outside of oneself.  Basically meaning that when you play a role you forget yourself and become someone else.  The imagination and creativity of it all gives me a rush and I have never had too much of an issue with becoming someone else and filling my head full of their past, present, and future.  Again, this is what I love most about acting.

However, there is one thing that has been growing stronger as an issue as I continue to grow as an actor.  This issue being the tiny residual piece of the character that lodges itself within me.  I come away each night of playing someone else with a fragment of the character's psyche.  This fragment may linger for only a day or may even last much longer.  I think I am beginning to make a connection with the life of the fragment to the strength of the emotion brought out through the character.  Funny thing is that I don't even have to be that character for very long if the emotion is intense enough.  I am still trying to push out a fragment that came away from callbacks recently.  In a way, I am thankful I was not cast as the lead role.  I can only imagine how strong the residual character would have been had I devoted myself completely to performing the role in its entirety.  I also was worried that I would be cast as the main role.  I had a hard time sleeping that night because I knew it was between me and one other guy.  Luckily he got the part as did the girl that was just as connected to her role as I.  The funny part about our audition was that after her and I performed together the director wanted to take a moment to let everyone calm down.  I know my heart was pretty much pounding through my chest as I struggled between my psyche and the character's.

Although I did not get the lead role I decided to stick with the play as a smaller role.  I am excited to be a part of this show and watch it all come to life.  More over, I am really excited to watch the two main actors since I knew a bit about their earlier acting and am able to see how much they have grown.

I think I may have to avoid any really emotionally connected plays for a while.  Anger I can handle pretty easy but it is the other side of strong emotion that is tougher to erase.

Dirty Walls

I love that going back to school has made me feel so productive now.  Time used to fly by as I just sat there staring at a wall.  Now time has slowed down and I have this odd urge to wash the wall I have been staring at all summer. (Note:  This is a hypothetical situation.  I am not standing next to a soap covered wall.)

I love this urge to get things done.  I wonder if it has something to do with my Xbox Live subscription running out which in turn pushed me to drop my Netflix since I could no longer watch it on the TV.  (Note: Netflix is much better on TV than on computer...that is a FACT!)  Either way, I am loving it!  Maybe I can pick up a little bit and then shoot a quick scene for this weeks video.  It will be the one!  Yeah, the one I have been talking about for ages!  No, not the Fulkultur one...that other one that has been bumped a couple of times.  The costumes have been sitting there for weeks.

Edit:  Whoa, whoa.  I got to excited and hit publish after that last paragraph before even finishing this blog.  Anywho, I really enjoy making YouTube videos.  Maybe I should just make something like "Maker Studios" (http://news.tubefilter.tv/2011/04/21/maker-studios/) up here in Fargo.  I would love it if that studio was attached to a prop store.  Eeee!  I want it so bad.  I wonder if I can come up with the financial backing to create said studio and have it include computers that have editing and special effects software.  I would totally stay here in Fargo if I could make something like that.  I mean, what a perfect location...besides the weather.  We are pretty much center of North America and have the Flight destination of FAR.  I think that is by far the coolest destination letters out there.  "Go Far Studio" or is plural better?  "Go Far Studios" would maybe leave room for expansion.  That may be best saved for after Japan and after I have had some more time on YouTube.  I feel the need to jump but there is so much to be finished first...like school...and Japan.  A baby can come afterwards or anytime really.  School is probably the biggest wait right now but I have some pretty sweet classes this semester.

Who thinks Katrina would let me start this business venture?  I have the urge to start research on top of my school work and demon hunter design.  Eee, school you make me feel so empowered! *shakes fist*

Ah, Memories

I now know why people say to prepare for an interview.
Will shot some behind the scenes footage of my last video.  During some of the shots he asked me questions.  At the time my answers were not not great or expansive.  In fact, as I do pretty much everyday, while rewinding through my memories I thought of so many better answers or discussions that could have been said.  I may say a couple of them in my next video this week.  I need to talk through things more with myself ahead of time.  These flashes of ideas that I catch are cool images but more often than not do not include dialogue or conversation.  This is partially why the video for the weekend of the 19th will be such an accomplishment to me.  Instead of just bowling it down the alley and hoping to get a strike I actually sat down and not only pieced my visions into a storyboard but also wrote a detailed script including costume list, props list, camera shot list, and even the dialogue to be used.  I am really excited to shoot that video next week.

Now for some random thoughts and updates!

In less than an hour I am going to be going to a walk-through of possibly my new apartment coming this October.  It is a little more expensive than I was hoping for so we will see.  It has a washer-dryer in the apartment, allows cats, and has a decent size balcony (technically speaking...since it is on the first floor and has a walk-out).

I either need to start wearing ankle socks or sandals and no socks.  This is in order to prepare for California.  Currently I wear crew-cut socks and the cloth from the sock actually has worn the hair right off my leg.  If I start letting that area breathe until I leave in October then maybe that hair will group back in and it won't look so awkward.

TMI Blog: Odd Long Blonde Hairs

So this is the second time I found a long blonde hair attached to me...like a hair that actually grew on me.  The first one was on the back of my right thigh.  Soon after I discovered it that hair fall off (probably from me tugging on it so much when checking it out).  The hair I found tonight is just below the middle of the right side of my rib cage.  I am willing to bet that this one is even longer than the first one.  I would say it measures to be a good three inches and is extremely lightweight as it catches any slight breeze really easy.  These hairs are so strange.  I wonder what could cause these long thin blonde hairs to randomly grow on someone with thicker dark hair.

If I Won

Ok, my recent ideas for what to do with a lottery win are these:

Building a complex with the following:
-Apartments with many different floor plans and possibly lofts
-A private access parking area for residents with spacious single and double garages
-A grocery store
-A two story arcade complete with go-karts, mini-golf, and laser tag
-Semi-healthy fast food options (i.e. not burger joints or pizza joints...well maybe pizza)
-A semi-professional recording (music/voice acting/sound) studio
-A semi-professional movie studio
-A couple general item stores for everything else one may need
-A small theater complex would be neat too but I would not want to take away from Marcus...so maybe a drive-in theater with the screen being one of the exterior walls
-Of course one may need a gas station but I feel we could do without since there are enough in town
-A large grassy courtyard where people could just chill
-I suppose an attached hotel would be great to for those Canadian and American tourists 

PTSD from a Dream

I need to get this out of my head.  I can not focus on my homework with flashes of this dream pushing its way into my head like a mild case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The best way I know how since I am now alone is to type it down.  Katrina used to get an ear full of all this but what I think that I never told her was how it helped clear my mind of it all.  Anyways, to the dream!

I do not remember where I came into the dream but the memory flashes put me as in the timeline where the action is already happening.  I am in a city and it is pretty sunny out.  There are people screaming and running away from this giant monster that is moving through the city.  It seems to be almost a vehicle of sorts because it is probably like four or five stories above ground, kind of boat/box-shaped, and also is breaking through the ground since I can only guess that it had another story or two under ground.  Well, like I said, everyone was running away and screaming...that is everyone but me.  I dodged out of view from the traveling destruction and sneaked my way around a red brick building with a pretty solid cement base.  I made my way to the corner where I could quickly peek around to see its location.  I took a quick glance and saw it was just about to pass the building that I was hiding behind.  I held my location as it went by.  I could hear it breaking the ground but even more I heard something coming from beneath ground that peaked my curiosity.  It was heavily mechanical sounding with a bit of what I perceived as possible voices of the enemy.  As it passed the building's foundation broke from the ground and pushed itself against me for a good half a foot.  I looked back around the corner to see that it was not only beyond my location but it completely took out two smaller buildings that where against the wall of the building I was behind.  I glanced across the street to see a bank that seemed pretty empty.  I dashed across the street and pushed my way through the glass doors.  Inside there was one teller behind the desk and a security guard just sitting on a chair next to the door.  He arose as I came in as if I startled him.  Both kept their eyes on me as I sized up the place for safety and other exits.  I told him to not worry and that we needed to contact others to tell them that this is a safe place.  He argued for some reason but I do not remember his argument.  Behind the guard there was a door that led to a basement.  The electricity must have been out because the basement was extremely dark.  The upstairs had enough windows to keep it bright without the need for light.

At this point I think the story skipped a bit because there were some other survivors now with us in the bank...I guess I convinced him to let us use the place as a safe house.  I wanted to get a better look at what that sound was and I had the idea that we could find out through the corridors in the basement since it was most likely tore open from  that machine going by.  I made the announcement that I needed some people to come with me and that we needed guns.  There was some bickering again but I forgot what it was about but I remember saying "Listen, we need a leader in these situations.  If we do not have a leader there will be chaos. We need a leader even if the leader does nothing but guide everyone through."  In this I was referring to myself without actually saying it.  There was only one guy that said something when I looked at him and he said "Why are you looking at me?"  Beyond that, no one argued my point and guys started to stand up to join me.  In fact, the guys joining me were some of the guys from my squad when we were in Iraq.  As they were gathering up they pulled out their guns to show they were armed.  We only had three or four pistols of different types for the six or so guys that were coming with me.  One of the other survivors that was not coming even passed his pistol off to one of the guys joining me.  I myself remained unarmed since I did not have a weapon of my own.

As soon as I saw that everyone was ready I pushed open the door and lead my team down into the dark basement.  I turned on my long steel flashlight and cut my way through the darkness and into the underground corridors.  This is where I woke up.  As soon as I woke up or partially woke up I started to play with the last part a bit where I wondered why the electricity was out or if the lights were just off.  I altered the dream and turned on the light which caused a rift within the dream and it basically caught itself in a sort of loop where it went back and forth between the electricity being out and me being able to just flip a switch to turn on the light.  It was fairly strange but I would have loved to just have followed the dream a bit more to see what we found.

Here, take my card

Woot!  My business cards for my YouTube channel came in yesterday.  I had to take one out and fantasize a bit.  They look so cool. The plan is to send them out with mailings (like with prizes/giveaways) and give them out to people interested in checking out my channel.  I only have 250 since I went with the free option but, shoot,  that still should last me quite some time.

Long time no blog.

Hey everyone, phew it sure has been a while since I posted anything here.  I could make up a bunch of excuses but honestly I think time with Katrina and time used for posting videos on YouTube has kidnapped the time spent over here on the blog.  However, since I am alone I feel the need to share with people my life as it is currently going.  Instead of posting it on Facebook, where the mass of the people in my friends list could care less, I am posting it here in a more safely intimate setting.  Granted, nothing on the internet is truly private but this is just a bit more private than Facebook.  So, without further blabbing and excessive comma use I will continue with actual substance of goings-on in my life.

Yesterday morning I arrived back in Fargo from Chicago.  Like usual, the train was behind schedule as we reached Fargo.  I was supposed to arrive in Fargo at 3:15 am but did not arrive until sometime around 6 am or so.  I took the rest of the day and napped/relaxed.  The two bedroom apartment just feels really big and empty right now.  Going to bed last night just seemed awkward without Katrina's breathing and sleep talking.  I had to turn on the fan to help fill the void and lull me to sleep.

Thankfully the humidity went away here in Fargo.  There is a nice breeze today again and it is just warm enough in the sun to be comfortable.  From my balcony I see nothing but a clear blue sky.  This is perfect weather to set up a table on the balcony and dig into my homework.  I have the table set up and the books on the table and will be digging in shortly...after I work out with Taylor of course.  I am worried to see how out of shape I have become after these last few days of non-consistent eating accompanied by the complete lack of working out.

Time to put away the computer and start my day.  See y'all around the net!  Oh, and if you have not had a chance to check over my latest YouTube video you should really take a gander.  www.youtube.com/justinchronemic

The Drama of Drama

It seems that no matter what I do or do not do drama always finds its way to the surface in the Theatre Department.  At the end of last semester one of the graduated majors passed me his locker since he just found out I was in the department again.  While filming some shots for these weeks YouTube video I thought I would take a peek and find my new locker.  I found the one described by the graduate but when I opened the door there was a note inside left by the new owner of the locker.  In the note it was mentioned that the previous owner gave it to him and that it was his now.  I am fairly certain the the new owner knew not of the previous transfer of ownership and that I was in fact brushed aside by the previous owner even though the proof of transfer is on Facebook.  In order to avoid being sucked into drama even more I just sent a message to the new owner saying something to the effect of "it seemed like he gave us both his locker blah blah blah so you can have it" (not actual post).  I know things will still be awkward and I wish they never were but it just seems like with this crowd it always takes that turn.  Le sigh, at least I will come away from college with at least one friend.

Feelin' Great

Wow, what a wonderful weekend that was.  Camping was fun, the Wedding was fun, the Relatives were fun, and the Waterfall was fun.  I am so glad we decided to camp at that state park.  I feel so refreshed and was reminded why I need more nature around me than this city has to offer.  California anyone?  One of Katrina's cousin told me that there is a battle between North Cali and South Cali.  He is from North Cali so of course when I asked him which is more beautiful he propped up North Cali.  Also, apparently San Jose has the most PhD's per capita over any other city in the nation.

Keep an eye out for the video.  I have a lot of footage to edit down but should be able to be done by Friday.  I would say that it would be fair to expect videos once a week on Fridays from now on. :)

Video Posted

Ok, the video has been posted.  It turned out to be just an intro post.  Next weeks video will have more substance.
http://www.youtube.com/JustinChronemic

Film Walkthrough

Today I walked through the space and conducted some initial area shots.  The environmental sounds of the space (aka the HVAC system) ruins the audio a bit.  I will be mainly only making gestures in much of the video except for the intro and outro.  That is not to say that there will not be any voice.  I am planning on doing a voice-over with the addition of music.  Probably something epic.  Dare I say possibly even SUPER EPIC SOUNDTRACK?!?   I think I just did.  So yeah, my hope is to have it finished by Friday before we head out for the wedding.  Katrina said she is willing to be my camera girl tomorrow morning before work. Woot woot!

Rubbish Rain

I was planning on filming today because of the perfect cloudiness for the green screen effect and the lack of rain...well at least that is what the weather was like yesterday.  Today the rain decided to show up so filming may have to wait until tomorrow.   In fact, the location of filming may change entirely...IDEA!  First, I was thinking about filming inside my apartment after I finished cleaning but now I just thought about filming in the theatre building.  That may be perfect!  Low traffic, a lot of space, many different locations to choose from, and fairly even overhead lighting.   I think I will venture over there and examine the option after I stop by work to do some finalizing paperwork.  Yay ideas!

A New Week

Well, today begins a new and exciting week.   I plan to accomplish much more this week that I did last week.  Here is a list of my hopeful completed items.

-Oil change for both vehicles
-Do some self repairs on Buick
-Do some parts hunting for the blazer (I plan on putting it up for sale next month)
-Record my video idea (looking at an outdoor video so here is to hoping for good weather)
-Edit my video and upload it to YouTube (thinking about one video a week for now)
-FINALLY rearrange the apartment furniture
-Work ahead on my Shakespeare homework
-Possibly start on the totes in the garage

We have a wedding to attend at the end of the week so any free time is crucial.  Very limited video gaming for me this week.  Wish me luck!

Video Tutor

Well I made my way through the software's tutorials but I am still not sure how to make use of the green screen.  I guess I may have to do a bit more digging.  Overall, I am thoroughly impressed.  One thing I hope that I can do is separate the sound from the video so I may delete the sound from the video if for some reason I needed too.  I guess for now I can just section the portion I want to have muted from the rest of the "event" and mute it.   Also, anyone know how to find current contests on YouTube?  I thought that there might be a category for it but I was wrong.

As soon as I take the time to actually rearrange the furniture how I want it then I will start pumping videos...maybe?  Also, I went to a stylist for my hair.  I told her to teach me how to use product and make it look good.  Now I have a fohawk on the days I actually use the product.  Yay for being a civilian and being able to style my hair!

[EDIT:  I guess it is spelled Faux Hawk]

The Response Blog

This post is a response to a faithful reader.  As far as I can tell. :)

The reason for me leaving my current work is to have more time with Katrina.  She flies out to Japan at the end of next month and I stay here to finish school.  This means we have a lot of together time to stock up on as well as packing, cleaning, and organizing.  In addition to all of that I may also be dabbling in the creation of YouTube videos while trying to balance a workout project and an online course that is pretty heavy in literature.  For a little money on the side I am also donating plasma twice a week.  Tomorrow is day three. :)

While Katrina is gone I plan to focus on video creativity, school, and hopefully a little furniture design/construction. Today my editing software and green screen should be arriving.  EXCITEMENT!

K, bye!

Good Day

Today was a very productive day.  We were pretty much out of the apartment all day completing errands.  I scheduled my PTO for the wedding and gave my 2-ish week notice. Katrina took care of some paperwork mailed some stuff.  My back-up battery came in today so we went to Best Buy to pick it up as well.  We even scheduled hair appointments for tomorrow. I would say it is a pretty good start to the day.

Tomorrow is also the fist day of my online course with NDSU.  Judging by the books for the class, I expect that not only will we read a lot but also write way more than anyone should for a Shakespeare course.  Further more, my software is supposed to be delivered on Wednesday.  This week should be fun even though it may turn out to be busier than normal.

Progress

Well, the camera is bought, the software (including a free green screen) is ordered, and now all I have to do is look around and figure out how I am going to contribute.  I may look at entering some contests before I start adding my own ideas.  The software is not a super extreme special effects program.  In fact it is a fairly basic editing program.  I guess I will see what it is all about when it arrives next Wednesday.  Maybe I will dig into Windows Movie Maker in the meantime until the package arrives.  What to do for a first post?  An introduction post? Some silly antics?  What would you guys think would be best for a first post?

Snap into a YouTube

Oof, I just finished catching up on my main subscribed channels.  For the most part it could have been short but I have been slacking a bit on the videos.  What made it especially long was the 20 min video one of the YouTubers posted.  Let me be honest here in saying that I did skip through a lot of her video but caught the main parts.  I do not think I will ever post a video that long...it is just way too long if you are catching up on other channels in the same night.

Also, eventually I am going to break the link between this blog and Facebook.  I may be doing this either sometime this week or sometime soon.  If you want to continue to check out what I am up to toss this link (http://thismomentsbreath.blogspot.com/) up on your your browser somewhere to save it for later.  Check ya on the "Flip" side. ;)

Edit: Yes Will, you are one of my mains that I watch. :)

Cali Bound and other trips

The tickets were bought and the reservations are the only items that remain to be finished.  In late October I am going to be going to Anaheim, CA to a Blizzard Entertainment Convention with Justin, Chris, and Mike.  I foresee us all having a great time.  I may even bring my roller blades and hit the coast.  The ticket buying process was a bit worrying since there are only a few tickets sold compared to the number of people trying to buy them.  We missed the first sale of the tickets but secured some on the second (and last) day of tickets sales.  I hope to start doing a little something something on YouTube before that starts so I can warm up to the whole interweb video and editing process.

The other big trip that I will be taking this summer is the trip to Chicago, IL in late July to send Katrina off to Japan.  The best part of it all is that we will be taking a train from Fargo to Chicago.  I am pretty excited since this will be the first time either of us ever rode the train in a sleeper car instead of just the regular first-come-first-serve seats of the passenger car.  Depending on some items of importance this may or may not be the workings for my first YouTube video.

New Post

Oof, sorry for the delay between posts.  Apparently my last post was a bit more controversial than I intended so I took some time to re-evaluate what to include in posts.  I think from now on I am going to avoid my deeper and really personal thoughts and just type stuff on the surface or semi-personal to non-personal thoughts.  Now for the real post.

Ever notice how as the days go by we do not always notice when stuff grows just because the growth is too slow for us to notice with the frequency of views.  Then one day your like "Whoa, my hair is getting long" or "Holy, your dog has grown" in which the owner replies "Oh? I guess I haven't noticed."  Just the other day as I was washing my hair I noticed "Holy, I have a lot of hair right now."  I was extremely tired since I did not sleep that night so the discovery may have been fostered by a slight bit of sleepiness.

Also, I think I am beginning to work YouTube into my regular morning routine.  I have my subscriptions sent directly to my e-mail.  This makes it really easy to support those that I watch and see what they are all up to.  Since a few of my subscriptions are partners with YouTube (which basically means that they get a share of the AdSense profit) I try to help them earn their pay check by giving  a view here and there.  One day I may enter the YouTube scene so these early connections may be important to make.  One person in particular has used YouTube to make a large impact on his family life.  Click the following link to check out his story: http://blogs.forbes.com/michaelhumphrey/2011/05/31/shaycarls-epic-journey-to-youtube-stardom/

Sacrifices

I am not sure if I made a post like this before.  I would not be surprised since I have the unfortunate pleasure of thinking about the topic occasionally.

I made many sacrifices in my life as most people have.  The majority of these sacrifices were brought on by love.  Earlier on I remember thinking that maybe I should just hold off on falling in love until I was set into a future.  Due to hormones and what not this is almost near to impossible.  Here is a list of a few of the sacrifices I made.  I will avoid using names of people but I am sure there are those who will still know who I am talking about.  If you wish to know further feel free to ask me but I ask you to share the same consideration and not leave names in the comments.

- Liked a girl because she was smart, beautiful, and fun but ended up leaving before I could gain any courage
- Chose other girl over the previous due to her tears when discussing with me a feeling that she had never felt about anyone else before

-Joined military to pay for college instead of taking out loans like the majority of students
- Split summer training and skipped a year between Basic and Advanced Individual Training so I could be with girl the summer before she started school

- Received letter of recommendation from a senator for West Point.
- Threw letter away and decided to follow a relationship to NDSU and decided to attend for Electrical Computer Engineering

- Girl has mass of homework/studying due to a double major in Architecture and Music and as such is not able to spend very much time together with me as a couple
- Decided to come up with personal reason (i.e. too much math in major) to go along with personal reason (i.e. spend more time helping girl with homework so we could at least spend time)
- Changed major to have a lighter workload to accommodate time needs even though I was extremely interested in the course work

- Went to Advanced Individual Training
- Girl ends relationship upon my return
- I go into a sort of depression and mess my grades up even more by not wanting to get out of bed

- Started a relationship with different girl in attempts to provide closure and a bandage over wound
- Upon graduation girl comes to NDSU to further relationship
- Married girl and had to support new family so started working and had to quit in order to work full-time

- Girl leaves for study abroad in Japan
- I leave for War in Iraq
- We learn how to make the best of the distance and understand what it takes to stay happy

- Girl wants to try JET
- I support her due to the positive effects that the choice could have on the stability of our future
- I stay here this time to finish a path or create a new foundation

Oof, enough of that list, I say.  So yeah, like I said before, I know a thing or two about sacrifices.  Even though these thoughts are in the back of my mind I do not look at where I am in a negative light.  I have a wonderful life and two wonderful families (in-laws being included of course).  Sometimes I do look at myself as a faded shadow of who I could have been.  Sometimes I look forward and see all the possibilities to re-learn and reach that previous drive for the things in which I find passion.  Who knows, maybe I will continue school in Mechatronics after our future is rolling a bit faster.  Maybe I will just fall into a stable job that allows me to spend time with my children.  The only thing that I know to be certain is that we all are people of sacrifice and will be for the rest of our lives.

The Underlying Tone

So I was pulled from sleep at 4am by the regular symphony of birds outside our bedroom window.  Normally I would have been able to fall back asleep with ease but there was something different in the air.  My left ear was picking up a set of electronic beeps that were extremely faint but very patterned.  My guess of why only my left ear could hear it is that my right ear has been damaged slightly more through my years in the service with heavy and light weaponry.  Since it was also only heard the the left ear it made it very difficult to pinpoint the origin of the beeps.  So I fought back by rolling over and putting my left ear to the pillow.  This movement was just enough to block the extremely faint sound of whatever and wherever it was.  In moments I was back to sleep.  Now that I am awake again I can not seem to find the sound.  Maybe there is much more going on during the day that interrupts the wave from reaching my apartment.  This means that whatever the sound was its origins were outside my apartment entering through the glass of my bedroom window.

Roy's Halo

I saw a most beautiful sight that has long since accompanied my view.  As I drove back home from an errand the sun broke through the clouds in its final setting above the horizon.  Dark rain clouds sprinkled droplets from above me.  As I made my way around the corner to my parking spot I saw the edge of something wonderful in the process of creation.  Soon a full arching rainbow spread across the sky opposite the setting sun.  It was a little light near the top but the ends were vibrant.  I quickly parked my vehicle and ran inside to alert Katrina.  I more or less pulled her out the door and into the parking (this was the position with the best view of the sky).  For minutes I stood there breathing in the rain and absorbing the view with my love's warmth cuddled into my arms.  At that moment the world was perfect.  As the rainbow faded we directed our attention to the blazing sky behind us.

It has been way too long since I had last seen a rainbow.  They simply did not have them in Iraq and for some reason I do not remember any from last year...even from that first spring that I was back home.  I will keep this new moment in my heart for many years and use it when I need it the most.  Thank you God.

P.S.  Roy's Halo...get it?  Roy G. Biv? Tee hee hee

Two Day

Well, I have some time here before class so I am going to toss up a two day blog...which means I am inching closer to having a daily blog format again. Woohoo!

Between the Brain Age game and my pocket watch I am beginning to form a deeper appreciation and understanding of how analog clocks works.  Now I love sitting and watching the hands and thinking about the mechanics.  Even the position of the hands spreads a small sense of euphoria over me.  I am really excited to sit down and be able to sell my self to discovery again.  I may just have to buy another sketchbook and begin researching how things work and how they can be recreated.

Also, thanks to those voices of the past I am thinking about acting again...as a partial occupation.  This will be in addition to property management of course.

Blog Long Gone

One nice outcome of not staying on top of blogging is that I eventually build up so much information that I have no choice but to extensively summarize.  This also leads to pushing out fluff material...which most often consists of the thoughts that rattle along the edges of my skull.  So without further fluffing...

Motorcycle brought home from shop
Crystal and Mother-in-law spent the night
Watched a wonderful orchestra performance
Spent time back home with both families for Easter break
Ate large meals all weekend...but still am under my wanted weight...due to lack of muscle
Temperature reached over 70
Went for a motorcycle ride with Katrina
Motorcycle brought back to shop
Bought Katrina a new Motorcycle helmet
Saw the perfect moped for Katrina (No motorcycle license required)
Thinking more about selling Blazer and using money to buy moped
School almost over
Need to apply at places for summer job or stay with Sanford
Camera is full but no adapter to make the transfer since I forgot it at home
Thinking about dropping my connection to the cellular world starting this summer
Skype and Google will become my main means of vocal communication beyond face to face

Yay!  All done...for now...

Back Thee Foul Demon

Maybe that reason I throttle myself before going too far into success is that I have a sort of ego related dialectic.

On one hand, I do not like hearing many people telling me I am good at something especially when expressed around the same time.  It may be my way of fighting back the possibility of a growing ego.  Also, I never really enjoyed a lot of attention or praise for doing good deeds or just doing something well in general; which may have also been a product of my shyness.

On the other hand, if I do something well, put in an honest effort, and fail to receive recognition I feel slightly depressed.  It is as if I perceive it as being ignored or placed at just reaching average.  Only a few people speaking up about the accomplishment is all that I long for.  This is especially true if the few are close relationship-wise.  It may be the same way I carry my friendships.  A close few is far better than unfamiliar masses.

This is a pretty crazy dialectic since the first way pushes against the ego where the second way clings tightly to the ego.  If I push my ego down do I push myself with it?  Is there some sort of humble ego that can rise or is that an oxymoron and no such thing can exist?

Funny Story:
More often than not when I am praised by someone for doing well at something I soon find myself unconsciously making a mistake as a way to show that I am not as good as they think.

Hugger

I am noticing more often in my disappointment in how little people hug anymore.  It may have been how I was raised but I find it extremely difficult to truly thank someone without giving them a hug...and vice versa.  I am a hugger and that is fact.  There is no other socially acceptable way to be closer to someone than through a hug.  There is probably a whole slew of psychological reasons why I prefer hugs over handshakes but that would take way too long to distinguish right now.  To me, family members should hug and close friends should hug.  I would be totally fine though if some stranger were to walk up and give me a hug...as long as their hygiene is not threatening to the nose.

YouTube

I am not sure if it is the name I chose or some other factor but after two days my empty YouTube channel already has 32 views and one random subscription.  The only activity I have done with that YouTube account was to subscribe to channels that my other account had, add a simple profile picture, and create my own background.

On my way back from school this morning I had an idea pop into my head of what I could post as far as videos.  I wanted to spend time inventing and discovering (for example how to make a lock...but begin with wooden locks and the only research that I would do would be from what I already know or what I discover through the creation process).  So I figured, what could be more fun and original than recording my discoveries and sharing them with the world.  Of course I would have to plan out an entertaining way to capture the audiences attention but if I can keep my creativity and fascination with the subject flowing then maybe I could apply for a YouTube partnership and make a little money on the side to help pay for supplies.

A Few Pictures

Well, as promised, here is a picture of my office that I recently decorated and rearranged.

Also, here are a couple pictures of the pocket watch Katrina gave to me for my birthday.  I had it monogrammed to turn it into an heirloom.  The watch requires no battery so, as long as I do not over-wind it, this gift should last a long time.

Welcome to the New Blog

Hey all,

Welcome to the new blog.  I am still in the process of switching everything over.  For those of you just following the blog you will not notice any really big differences.  For those of you following on external sites I apologize for the massive double posting (mainly on Facebook) as I try to set up links and feeds.  Once the ball is rolling and we get past these first initial hic-ups then we will be back in business!

Warmer Mornings

Lately we have been having progressively warmer mornings. This is good news to me especially since it means that soon I can toss my battery back into my motorcycle and start using it. I have seen a few motorcycles out already. It is still a little cold for my '95 Ninja but the excitement is building.

You, Me, Updated

Here is a quick update before I go to class.

Major: Theatre Arts (General)
Minor: Management Communication
Expected Graduation: Spring 2012

Current Job Prospect for Summer: Leasing Specialist
Current Career Prospect: Property Investment

Also, I recently rearranged and decorated the office. I am quite pleased with the results and boy do I feel productive. Furthermore, I noticed that some of my decorations were made in the mid-1960's. Even furthermore, these decorations, which were previously shunned by Katrina, are actually accepted by her now. My efforts to make the space feel more like a home office rather than just a room with a desk is a success.

Puzzle Vision

Each day I see a bit more clearly of who I was, who I became, and who I am. People always told me that I could do anything. I had a lot of drive back then. Although I could not see it back then I did have a great future ahead of me...if I would have only stayed on track. Unfortunately something...someone stopped me. I soon was looking out for the future of another and pushing mine off the train. This all crashed when the train derailed. I found myself injured and alone even though I had one of my best friends only a few steps away. Before the crash people were giving me small warning signs. They would tell me that my aura was much weaker. They would tell me that I didn't seem as happy as I used to be. This is where I began to play the dead man floating down the river. The current of the relation"ship" was pulling me behind it and I was drowning. When the cable was cut I continued to just float in life for a long time. Memories of the things I accomplished were small flickers in the gray mass of my much weaker self.

Recently I have been feeling like I found shore. The life that gave me so much light is returning and I see potential in myself once again. There are still some steps I need to take in order to make this fire grow but for the most part I have began to make sparks. The main thing to work for is to trust in myself and to allow the path to lead me through great things instead of stepping off when faced with the need for personal strength and courage.

I am all fueled up and ready to leave the gate.

Memory Flub

My memory has been so bad today. It may have something to do with my late night with homework and my lack of sleep accompanied with my lack of brain training. Either way I had a tough time vocalizing a word that I had thought just moments before I spoke...that word was "immediate". So I sat there searching for the word while the entire class held their breath. Later in the class I forgot a guys name which I needed to call him in order to give him something he dropped. Hopefully after some more class, some reading, some more drawing, some studying, and some brain training...with maybe a little rest...my brain will be back to normal.

Just Prose to Remember

As I sit here and ponder my next writing, I grow to see a reflection of my past in a mirror that once was foggy. Of all the dreams that I still recall those which occurred early in my life have stuck with me the most. Only now as I stare through my reflection to view the falling spring snow do these dreams form a coherent point.

I began by trying to place a meaning to each dream as a simple form of reference without having to write out each individual story. These simplistic views included alienation, betrayal, heroic deeds, discovery, isolation, and fear. All of these things I experienced throughout my life. Until now, I viewed each dream as its own pillar. Something that stood all by itself and held a unique meaning. Now I know that these dreams, although some telling of future events, were cantilevers that balanced from the frame of self. Those dreams were and are me. They were not some past self or even an alternate self. They were my balance and my most inner character. Within this discovery I may have found more than I was looking for in writing my prose but I found exactly what I needed to complete my story.

Autosense

Sometimes I wish I would have spent a bit more time understanding vehicles. Lately some bar became unattached from my Blazer just beyond the front tire. From what I researched my only guess (and hope) is that it is the sway bar. Seeing as it is now bent, the whole bar will have to be replaced. It may be expensive though since it runs just short of the width of the vehicle and is surrounded by a metal enclosure...which to my guess will make it difficult to remove. Maybe I will try to fix it myself this time. All I need to do is find the parts...and find out exactly what it is as well as what tools I may need. Until then, I think I am just going to ride bicycle since the sidewalks are melted enough. I will still need to dress warm since it is a cloudy, windy, and 35 degree Fahrenheit kind of day.

Post-Cleaning Day Two

We did not accomplish as much as I had planned. This is due mainly to errands and being host to a St. Patrick's day meal. We did complete the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and storage closet enough so that it is comfortable for company. The office and bedroom still needs work as well as the cupboards, drawers, bookshelves, games and movies. I also need to organize paperwork a bit better, rearrange the office, and find the key for our safe (not a good thing to be missing he key for). It does not look like I will be getting to the garage even though we have had the most beautiful weather. I think that since I am sitting here with my computer that I will gather the game and movies to make a list of what to sell and for how much (planning on using Amazon to sell it all).

In other news, just finished my FAFSA for my final year of school. I am really hoping for Work-Study next year. Also, I have been thinking a lot about real estate investments and managing. This is a pretty decent area for it considering around 80% of the population rents. Although if I was to own property in Minnesota then I would be able to tell the renters that they can deduct what they pay in rent from their taxes. We'll see what is available by the time I am ready.

Clean Up Day One

Today is the first day of clean up days. I plan to only have two days so after I work out and do a few errands then Katrina and I will be jumping head first into it. The plan is to first clean the apartment, then figure out what we can get rid of, and finally repeat the process with the garage. Sounds simple right? The walls of boxes in the garage beg to differ.

Chocolate goes straight to my...cheek bones?

This is something odd that I noticed when I returned to America. I do not know if the occurrence is do to a new chemical make-up for manufactured chocolate or even due to the anthrax shots. It could possibly just be what Will thought all along. That being my release of pheromones and now the increased release right beneath my eyes. Anyways, to the oddity.

Now when I eat chocolate I first start having a sensation in my cheek bones just below my eyes. Soon it begins to feel like those two localized areas begin to sweet a tiny amount although my cheeks do not feel moist to the touch. Then I feel somewhat of a light steam passing over my eyes. The best part is that this is increased significantly when eating mint chocolate wafers. Then it almost kind of burns. This reaction does not create any visible signs, according to Katrina.

Although this is a strange occurrence to me since it only started to happen after the deployment. I do not dislike it and in fact I made sure to save a mint chocolate wafer on my desk just so I could enjoy the experience when my day was all done. Has anyone ever had this happen or know what may cause this?

18.3 Gallons

Today I found out exactly how much usable gas my Blazer can hold. My gas gauge does not work below half a tank so once it reaches that point it is sort of a gamble. The longer you wait to fill means the higher risk you are taking of running out of gas on the road. Tonight I was on my way to buy bread for what I was making for supper and was also planning on filling gas at the grocery store. Two blocks away from the turn towards the store my gas runs out. I muscle my way at the steering wheel, since quite a few things depend on having gas....including power steering, and turn from the far left lane to the far right lane as to catch the turn to the gas station that just so happened to find itself in the right location. I make it around the turn but lose my momentum as soon as I hit the ramp to the lot. I turn the wheel s much as I could and tried to push it by myself. Of course, the wheel started to straighten itself out and I had to stop pushing even though I was making good progress. Thankfully, a few guys came out from the car wash and helped me push it up to a gas pump. I filled 18.3 gallons of gas into the tank and will not even mention how much it cost since the price of gas is getting insanely high. I do not know if fuel prices effect the "cost of living" which in turn effects wages but if not it definitely should. That is especially true for somewhere with the climate as such as we have here. All in all, I would say it was a pretty fun adventure and I am glad that there are so many helpful people in this area.

Poem for You

This was a poem I wrote for a class. Katrina thought I should share it.

Iris

I run and hide and play

I wait for you all day

Please remember I am clean

Your filthy hands so mean

Feed me

Water me

Pet me

Love me

Oh, a gift for you

Please clean my poo

Blue

There is just something about blue eyes that I have always found attractive. At one point I thought that eye color was a trait that influenced more than just looks and in fact carried some deeper effect on the person as if it were a race in its own. Ever since my yellow contacts wore out I have wanted a pair of blue color change contact lenses. The technology now really makes them work well with brown eyes. I have been holding off buying them for really three reasons.

1. Cost - these types of contacts can be somewhat expensive

2. Welfare - I am not sure how long I should wait after the surgery to put stuff in my eye again...if ever

3. Comfort - I have been without contacts for so long now and I remember how uncomfortable they could be when met with a warm breeze or any breeze in that case.

Someday, I would like to try it out. I especially think that dark hair and blue eyes are really striking. One person in particular that I thought was fairly attractive was Matthew Bomer. They had him on a talk show this morning and his eyes were just really piercing. My yellow contacts brought forward sort of the same reaction and I received many compliments. If I am going to go through with it I might as well try it out while I am still a bit younger and attending college.

Being honest though, the blonde hair and blue eyes on guys is normal and does not seem to be as striking. For females both hair colors are equally attractive as long as the contrast is not so expansive....that can just be creepy. I have always been drawn more to blue eyes which is probably why my girlfriends have all had blue eyes.

Buzzing Lightbulb

I am not sure if working with my team to write that drama had anything to do with it but recently my brain's creative side has been going at full power. The day it happened was the most challenging since it was a Saturday and I had to work. Having all those thoughts and ideas bottled up caused them all to explode like little fireworks in my brain. Often I found myself paralyzed as an idea took over all thought including my "auto-drive" function. Only when some time had passed in deep thought did I notice that I was no longer moving and instead just staring down at my cart. I am fairly certain that I was not very productive that day on the physical end but boy was I productive on the mental side. You could say I went mental that day...

Katrina flies out for Chicago today and her interview is on Friday. She seems more nervous about the flight more than anything. She packed her suit and all into a carry-on just to be certain that her luggage does not become lost since there really is not time to wait fro them to find her bags. Also, apparently we can save an average of $500 if we were to fly out of Minneapolis whether to Japan or just to Chicago. This is kind of sad because we have a decent international airport right here in Fargo.

My Life Online

We discussed tracking those that Google our names in my Interpersonal Communication class today. That pushed me to search what parts of my life are actually online. Surprisingly and not surprisingly there is way too much about me and my activities. You can find history of my high school sports and academics. I also stumbled upon an old address that I posted on what I thought was a private guild chat in a gaming site. Thank goodness I do not live there anymore. You can also read a couple of my articles I wrote for the papers while I was overseas. I even found an old site that lists me as a Master Artist yet within the Edwin Booth Players...which I am not sure how membership in that works since I was gone for so long and am now a minor instead of a major. I tried changing my information on one site but I am sure it will take a while for the search link to be updated. Let this be a lesson to future generations. I know I for sure am going to teach them internet safety as they grow up in this advancing technical world.

The End of a Night

Watched a wonderful performance of "Oklahoma!" tonight at NDSU! I think I am going to audition for some plays for next semester and maybe get back into voice lessons if I can fit it into my schedule. Tonight reminded me of the excitement of being on stage and performing. Too bad I was dehydrated after the show and thus feeling slightly anti-social.

Next week I start my 10 hours of community service for a service-learning project. I am helping out at a nursing home. I will be helping with Bingo and Adult Daycare. Should be exciting since the last time I was helping at a nursing home was when the high school swing choir was singing there for some Christmas. Charm do not fail me now. I do not want to make anyone angry by saying the wrong thing. I wonder if I should keep wearing my leather jacket or ditch it for something a bit less rough looking. First impressions are key.

Also, at the end of next week Katrina will be having her interview for the JET program. So make sure you send her your best wishes and prayers.

Snow etc.

Looks like we did not miss the snow after all. Although, the snow seems light and fluffy with not an overabundance of flakes. One almost has to think that the to shift to cold just in time for it to snow may be a continuation of help to reduce the likely flooding of the Red River. It sure does look pretty though. If I had a closed in porch/balcony I would totally be watching the skies rather than sitting cooped up in this office...even though it does have a pretty nice window I can peer through without too much obscuring the view.

Also, one of these days I will sit down and write the letters I have been failing to get to. Why is it so tough to just sit down and write a quick letter? I wrote quite a few when I was away but can not seem to stop and write. Sadly, the letters also include a few Christmas/New year cards. Maybe I will put that on a "To Do" list and force myself to stay awake until I finish.

Today's To Do:

-Write Letters
W+ MJ V
CJK
J + S M
K S
-Finish Reading "Neither Wolf Nor Dog"
-Wash Dishes?

That is good for now. Do not want to get too zealous. ;)
Till Next Time!

End

According to the weather forecast, the warming trend is coming to a pause. We may be back down around 20 degrees starting tomorrow. The overcast and cool breeze suggests that there is some truth in this prediction.

I have been thinking about a couple heavy posts but since class begins in 8 minutes...with only 10 students actually here at the moment...I do not really have the time. With such an empty class I am beginning to wonder if the majority of the students thought that today was a service-learning project day like most Thursdays. The room is extremely empty for it being so close to the start of class.

Update: People are trickling in. It may so happen that people are just moving a bit slower today and that a rush will come when there is about 2 minutes to spare.

Update: Class is finished and only maybe 20 students arrived for class. I guess most thought that we had another Thursday off from class.

Better Start

Well, the verdict is in on two of my 4 tests I have completed thus far. Only two grades have been reported since I just took two this week. The harder of the two tests that I took was bumped up slightly to an 87% (B) due to some curving and additional bonuses. The somewhat easier test and the test I may have studied a bit more for was graded with a 92% (A). This is a much more positive track that I am following compared to my rough beginning last semester. Sadly, I know I can do better and, although they are both decent grades, I am not extremely excited with the effort put forth. In my past years these decent grades would cause me to loosen some slack in my studiousness. With my experience I know that this is not and should not be the case. I need to snap that rope a bit tighter and keep muscling through. I will not be pleased until the final grades are in and I know I did the best I could...I may not be pleased even then since I seem to be regaining my lack of satisfaction with my writing despite what positive comments I hear. I also will not let this lack of satisfaction derail me from reaching my potential and my goals.

LET'S DO THIS!

p.s. Apparently, I missed mentioning that I reach my first 100 post during the last post. Mainly because I just noticed it now. Yay 101!

Misconception

This morning as I dressed for class I glanced quickly at the atomic clock and read that it was 15 degrees outside. This was to be expected since the news stations were talking about a warming trend heading our way. As I made my way from the apartment to my blazer the hairs of my nose told me a different story as the condensation from my breath froze them together. After returning home I realized that in fact I missed a negative sign in front of that 15. Where is our 20-30 degree weather? I know we have been spoiled with the lack of fresh snow but at least toss us some warmth. Who is with me?

Red Rivers Stream Through My Mind

I find myself longing to be enveloped in red. After some psychological color studies I was reminded how comforting it felt to slide into my red satin sheets and pull the night-black comforter over top. The color always seemed to comfort me and bring a sort of life with it. I know Katrina was not a fan of the satin sheets mainly because they were quite chilly until the body had some time to bring it to a comfortable temperature. Being quite warm bodied, the cool touch may have helped a bit with the relaxation. Then again, I am not sure my old black comforter is usable anymore since I remember it being fairly flat. One of these days I will once again lay my safety color down upon the mattress and slip into bliss.

For Future Reference (In case you did not know):
Red and Black have been my favorite colors since I knew what colors were. In kindergarten we had to choose a favorite color and fill in a single square. I colored one half red and one half black.

Test in 30

Just a quick shout out so I can study a bit more for my test today.

Have you ever had the chance to enjoy iGoogle? If not, I suggest you hop on over. They have many multinational tools. The one I made use of was the translator. I translated a status that I hijacked from someone else, which I found out later had some pretty hilarious meaning. After that I bounced around translating Japanese and German. It was pretty fun to see what the translation had in store. Quite often the output needed a bit of interpretation since quite often the sentence structure or translated word was not correct. I also spun it and posted some responses in the respective languages which I am sure was just as hilarious or confusing for the people I sent them to. Anyways, if you get a chance you should check out iGoogle. It is worth the trip.

Routine Set

The other night I finally sat down and drew out a routine. The need for this came about with the coming a scheduled game time that will be happening soon. I figured I need to work on my time management before I that time comes. We will see how this first week goes. As of now, my weekends remain unplanned since work takes up most of the time anyways.

The Warming

It is hard to believe that we reach such high temperatures in February. I look on is disbelief as my atomic clock displays that it is 37 degrees Fahrenheit outside. My doubt is ceased when the mercury filled gauge outside reflects the same degree. I, like most, thoroughly enjoy these warming trends during the winter. In my mind I see it as natures way of helping to decrease the amount of flooding to come when spring arrives. Each time that we reach above 30 I am hopeful for an early spring. I look forward to the days that I can bring the table and chairs out to the balcony and set up my temporary desk in the warming rays of the sun. For now, these days are a gentle reminder that the day will come.

Shiny Eyelids

Apparently when one is not getting enough sleep a symptom of dark shiny eyelids surfaces. I think I am going to call i an early night and aim for a good 8 hours of sleep...which would be about 5:30am or so. I may just round that up to 6am. I have really been feeling just worn down lately. Luckily, this weakened state is coming around just as Katrina is finishing up with her cold. Maybe I will do some brain training before bed too now that I have....shoot...I can not even think of the name of the game right now. Bleh. Well, you know, that one brain training game that is not Brain Academy. Justin has the game so I am sure he would know. Anyways, goodnight.

Boo!

Oh boy, that was good. My post totally caught you off guard. You didn't see it coming. Anyways, welcome to my first blog post of February. Where the unattainable is attained...err...wait that's Zombo com.

This one will be a quickie since I have only 10 minutes.

Currently checking out Amway but waiting to make a decision until I have some questions answered by an ol' military buddy I am meeting with tonight as well as some opinions from a couple of relatives that have been through it. As of now I am fairly cautious due to the companies past history, what it could do to my credibility as a public relations major, and other seemingly normal foreseen bumps in the road.

Sometime last week I went in for a haircut and finally today I had my face meet the same trimmed look that my head does. I think I am getting better at this whole shaping of the facial hair thing. Randomly, the perfect length for my facial hair seems to be a 3 on my electric razor. Is that random? Eh, the world may never know. Enjoy your day!

[Insert Title Here]

So I have trying to wait until I finish a blog before I type the title....much like I write my papers. However, I have noticed that by the time I reach the end of my post I tend to forget to actually title the piece. This normally wouldn't create an issue and most often results in the piece being labeled automatically with (No Title), as when my blog imports to Facebook. Oddly, my blog woks differently in that when a post has no title given it will fill the title space with as much of the text from the post as possible. Microsoft Word does this same kind of thing. I am going to my best to remember to title because not only does it slightly bug me but it is makes the titles in the archives look a bit silly.

In other news, it has been warming up here to the point where some of the snow actually melted.

Well, I was not able to sit in my favorite NDSU place and write today due to some errands I had to run in between classes. I did stop by quickly as I almost forgot about what I had to do. Unfortunately, I noticed more people have discovered the location. More specifically, two people have discovered the two tables that have the best view through the large picture windows. I was sad for a moment as I begrudgingly sat at a high table some twenty or so feet from my original spot(s). Then I was blanketed by the warmth of sweet release when I realized I had to be somewhere and as such did not have to sit in torture. All and all it was a good day. To add onto that, it was pretty much over 20 degrees Fahrenheit all day and later in the evening the fire alarms went off in our building because someone burnt their food. My neighbor and I stayed put. I hit each floor to find the source and found it came from our floor around the middle of the building. I have a funny story behind the whole thing but it is one meant for face-to-face.

P.S. Yes, Will, you will just have to be patient. ;)

How I do the Dishes

The following was from a step in an exercise that I was working on for class. This is the process I go through when doing the dishes. I am also very picky when it comes to the cleanliness of said dishes and have been known to spend hours scrubbing difficult stains.

First you turn on the faucet and rinse any food bits down the drain that may have been left there. Then you open the top of the dish bottle and pour a small amount onto a dry and clean washcloth. Crumple the washcloth up and put it under running water to spread the soap throughout. As the cloth fills with water be sure to squeeze the crumpled cloth a bit to help with the saturation of soap. With the soapy and wet rag, wipe all areas of the sink to ensure it is clean. When complete, rinse out rag and wash suds down into drain. Plug the drain and fill the sink to about three-quarters of the way with hot water. During the filling process be sure to add a small amount of soap near the flow of the water to create a good soap and water mix for cleaning. Be careful as to not lose track of where the water line is due to the suds from the soap mixing. Once the sink is full you may place a few dishes in the water to begin to soak. Reach into the hot water and lift up whatever dish you are washing to the water line. With the other hand, scrub or wipe the dish with the dish cloth being sure to scrub off any food particles or greasy liquids. Once you are satisfied, take the dish and either dip it in cold water or dip it under running water to rinse off the soap. Set the wet dish in the drying rack. Continue this process until the drying rack is full. At that point find a dish towel and dry off any moisture that is still on the dish. As you dry the dishes it is best to put them away in whatever location they are originally stored. Continue this process until the dish rack is empty. Then return to the washing step. This cycle will continue until all of the dirty dishes are now clean and put away. It is important to note that if the dish water should ever become extremely soiled from the dishes that you drain the sink, wash out the debris, and refill the sink with the hot water and soap mix. It is up to your best judgment when you consider the dish water to be filthy enough to need to be drained. Furthermore, the order you complete the dishes is not necessarily important but I tend to complete them as such: silverware/utensils, cups, plastics, bowls, plates, stove ware/pots, pans/trays.

Missed a day since this time seems to be the main productive time to type. After some errands though I only have a few minutes.

I am really enjoying the classes I am taking this semester. Four of the five reference topics and ideas from the others. Also, I feel that these classes may be actually turning me from an alliterate/required reader to a casual reader which in turn will push into the realm of the bibliophile. Although, I think it will take some time to get up to 50 books per year. These classes are also intriguing and feeding my interest in writing, publishing, and marketing. Mmmm, knowledge and sensations of entrepreneurship.

A New Location

I have entered the library and found a nice quiet and relaxing place. In the background I can hear the hum the of electric fireplace next to me and the occasionally stomps of people as they enter from the snowy exterior. I came here mainly to charge my computer after my last media class but instead found a serene place in which I may frequent. I am seated at a table with a fireplace to my right and three large picture windows to my front. I can just watch the occurrences between people as well as the stillness of the nature in the courtyard in which I overlook.

Which brings me to the fact that I need to write more. One of my textbooks suggests we have a journal in which we try to write at least once a day. Our entries are not necessarily suppose to simply list our daily events but instead be host to ideas, thoughts, lists, experimental writing, and accounts of people that we observe in everyday life. To keep myself from writing about me too often in that journal I am going type more often on this blog. Tuesday and Thursdays I am definitely planning on taking advantage of this location and the 45 minute block I have between classes.

I think I am fairly decided that, when this next lease is up, I will be moving to either a different one bedroom or two with no additional roommates. I have 9 months starting next month. I like the location of our current place because of its proximity to pretty much everything but the neighborhood isn't the best. Where ever I choose I am going to follow the same plan in choosing somewhere that is somewhere between all my needs so I can bike/run/roller blade when the temperature is nice. Which brings me to the next quick point...sort of.

I am really looking forward to spring cleaning this year. Not because of the usual reason (collecting "useful" junk from others) but because we are actually going to be the ones ridding ourselves of useful junk. That will not only make it better for moving but also help us if we want to do any world traveling in the future. Then we can have a somewhat smaller storage unit that isn't piled up to the ceiling with boxes.

Well, off to class!