Looking Ahead

In todays' busy world I find myself always short on time. Short on time and in a hurry, I rarely take time to sit down relax and enjoy the moment or look out ahead and do some planning. If someone were to ask me what I have planned for my future I would not have a solid answer. I would reply that I am currently in college trying to earn a degree in something. That something is unknown, I find it hard to lay out a plan for the rest of my life, and even if I could I do not think I would want to live my life from a script already laid out in front of me. I took a class last semester, and in we learned there are 2 distinct personality types, J & P. J type people must live their life according to schedule and routine. When this becomes interrupted they have a hard time functioning. Type P people are more on the free spirited side and the do not like to follow any type of ritual or plan. They like to live in the moment, and when asked to be part of a plan they respond with an indefinite answer. I am a type P through and through.

Cold Sloth

It seems like every year when fall turns into winter that transition just gets colder and colder. I have not transitioned well, I like warm sunny days where I am comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt. This year is has went from the low 70s to the mid 40's in a day. That kind of change takes a toll on the body trying to adjust, especially when your a college kid that does a lot of walking to classes. I have found myself sick twice now, and the winter has only but began. That very unusual for me, I rarely am ever sick, in the last five years I have been sick 3 times. So I wonder is it the transition my body is having trouble with or what. Another part of the change I make, is I basically turn into a sloth or at least moving at the speed of one. When it is cold outside I do not care to even go outside, I rather sit inside and basically hibernate for the winter. I am done hibernating and ready for some warm weather.

Happy Halloween

I awoke friday with a good feeling, a feeling of happiness. I knew that that evening was Halloween and I intended to make it a good one. I blew through my only two classes for the day, thinking only about what the night was to bring. After classes I ate and began preparing for the night. I had a costume that I was sure everyone would like. I was going to be a spartan, well not just any spartan but Leonitus the King of Sparta. I went to a costume shop earlier that week and picked up the get up. It included a chestplate armor, a red toga, helmet, shield, arm and leg bracers, and a sword. Before I put it on for the night I watched the movie 300, from which I gained the idea to be a spartan. I picked up a few good lines that I would be sure to repeat at the party I was going to. 7 oclock rolled around faster than I had thought, but I then began to get ready. I had my girlfriend use the temporary hair dye I bought to color my hair and beard black to match my character. After that was on it started coming together. I could hardly recongnize myself with black hair. After I was suited up and got a picture with my boxer girlfriend we left for the party down the street, eagerly awaiting seeing my friends and their costumes. When I arrived there were many standing outside, I walked up and said, "Is this Sparta' in a deep raspy voice. They retorted with no this is Muncie, and who the hell are you. They didn't recognize me but after I removed my helmet they were shocked to see who it revealed. There were many great costumes at the party, and everybody kept their character acting like who they were supposed to be for the evening. I had a blast at the part and it was a Halloween for books.

A Willingness to Outlast and Surpass

Ever since I can remember, I have loved being outside doing something active. Sports were my childhood, so it was no surprise that on my last day of summer I was outside with the neighborhood kids playing basketball. The sun was glaring off the cement, and oh how I enjoyed being out on a steamy summer day. I had been up since six, the usual time I would rise to get an early start. Then I would get up eat some breakfast, watch some cartoons, and put on a pair of gym shorts. I was ready to start my day by between 7 and 8. Sometimes, I would go outside and start with shooting some hoops, on others it would be practicing pitching against a net, or I would kick around the football until I could get some others together to join me.

As my day was coming to an end and the sun beginning to set overhead my mom hollered for supper, so my little brother and I went inside to eat and recharge our batteries. Dad had grilled burgers and hotdogs; mom had fixed fries and had apple sauce with cinnamon. I sat down, grabbed myself two burgers and a hotdog, filled the rest of my plate with fries and had a bowl of apple sauce on the side, and then I began to dig in. As I was scarfing down my food my mom said “tomorrow is your first day of third grade Kyle”. My heart sank oh how I dreaded school; it was like torture to me. There were 12 hours of sunshine and I would be spending over half of that cooped up in a room just sitting there at a desk reading and writing. Like any other 10 yr old, the sound of school wasn’t near as good, as the sound of summer, free to go outside, free to get a little dirty, and have fun doing something active.

After dinner I showered and prepared for bed. As I laid down and drifted off to sleep I began to dream of what tomorrow had to bring. I imagined that when I got to the school, it wasn’t even really a school, but rather a dark and gloomy dungeon. A Dungeon where there were guards and cells, to punish and keep kids from seeing the light of day. When I got to the dungeon I was escorted to a cell, where I was then chained to a desk. Then the warden came in and he was a sight. He had to be 7 ft. tall and as wide as doorway. His face was weathered and he had a constant frown. His voice was even more frightening it sounded like thunder booming loud and cracking and his eyes gave off an evil twinkle whenever he looked at you.

“Quiet”, he shouted. “We will begin with me asking you some questions, and then you answering them. If you’re lucky enough to get one right, you will be ok. Let's go with you, you right there” he said pointing in my general direction.

“Oh no. Is he pointing at me?” I thought. I point to my chest with a puzzled look on my face. “Yes you, you’re up. Tell me the capital of Wyoming.” At this point I was like a deer in head lights, frozen solid with not a clue. I wasn’t even sure where Wyoming was let alone its capital. I scoured my brain, hoping that magically the answer would appear. I swallowed hard and after a deep breath I squeaked out “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know, well I’ve got just the answer for you, let’s go you’re coming with me!” He started pacing towards me; he got to me and reached out, my heart stopped. “NNNOOO!” I shouted, and out of nowhere I begin to shake. Then I hear a comforting voice say “Kyle wake up. Wake up. You must have been having a bad dream, but it’s time to get up for school.”

I pleaded with my mom, not to make me go to school. At first I tried being sick. After that didn’t work, I tried to bribe her by doing chores and other things around the house. All my efforts were futile. So I got out of bed and got ready for school, knowing that I was doomed. I got dressed, tried to eat something, and gathered my school bag. “You’re running behind, hurry up or you’ll be late” my mom hollered, as I sat there in my room writing my last will and testament. So I wrapped it up splitting everything I had amongst my father, mother, and brother. I grabbed backpacked and headed outside, to begin my 3 block walk to the dungeon.

It was a nice walk; the morning air was warm, and the sun shining brightly. I could see my school from 2 blocks away. The school sat tall atop hill. With each approaching step, it seemed harder and harder to make the next; my feet were growing heavier as I got to the steps of the school. I went in the entrance where the 1^st and 2^nd grade classes were. I knew that hallway and it felt more comfortable. As I got to the end of the hall and peered down the next, it looked dark and desolate. My room was the last on the left. I get to the doorway and glance in. It didn’t appear to be a dungeon, the other kids weren’t chained to they’re desks. That’s a good sign, I thought. So I went in and tried to find a seat. The only seat available was the one right next to the kid from my dream! “Oh no” I said to myself. Reluctantly I took it and waited for class to begin.

“Good morning class” I hear coming from the doorway in a pleasant voice. “I am Mrs. Franklin and I will be your third grade teacher.”

She was nothing like the warden, not even close. She for one was a woman, but she was somewhat tall and slender, had long blonde hair, captivating blue eyes, and the softest and sweetest voice I had ever heard.

“Let’s begin with getting our books, shall we?” She said as she walked to the front of the class. We all got a reading, math, science, social studies, and spelling books.

“Now I am going to pass around this basket, and inside is a strip of paper with a sentence on it. Take one and pass it along. After you get one try to correct the grammatical errors, and we will go over it when you’re done,” she said in her soft voice.

So we got our books and corrected a sentence, then it was time for lunch, which I couldn’t wait for because I was starving. I didn’t eat much before I left with running behind, with writing a will, and just being too nervous to eat. So far the day had been nothing like what I had expected, but I wasn’t ruling anything out. After lunch we all got back to the classroom and took our seats. Mrs. Franklin came in with a book in hand and said, “Class come join me over hear in corner. I am going to read to you a book a chapter or two a day after lunch, to get ready for the second half of the day. The book I will be reading is called the Indian in the Cupboard, so here goes.” She began reading in that soft voice of hers and I couldn’t do anything but fall completely in love with the book. The way she read made the story so real and I drifted away being caught up in the story.

The rest of the day was a breeze and when I got back home all I could think about was that book the Indian in the Cupboard, not about going out playing, or having fun but what was going to happen next in the book. The night went slow and I found it hard to sleep, in anticipation of the next day. The next morning I awoke and jumped out of bed, brushed my teeth, got dressed, and was at school with 15 minutes to spare. She read to us again, and the story got even more captivating. I pleaded for her to read more, but she wouldn’t. So that night I asked my mom to take me to the library, where I found the Indian in Cupboard and checked it out. It was a class 5 reading level. At first some parts were hard to understand, but by the end of it, I was reading fluently and even after it was finished I had a sense of wanting more. So I went back to the library and checked out book after book. I just enjoyed reading enjoyed getting caught up in the story. With my new found love for reading, writing came just as natural as if I were on the basketball court. I excelled in school because of Mrs. Franklin and how she taught. It was the first time I had a teacher that made me want to learn. It wasn’t for the grade but to gain knowledge. I don’t know if I ever would have been drawn to reading if weren’t for Mrs. Franklin, but I do think she sparked my yearning to learn, and want to go to school. It was at that time that I first set my goals of going to college and earning a degree.

Road Trip

It was the week before the fourth of July, I was 19. I graduated form high school the year before, and now I working in a factory in my home town. The factory had a shutdown for the week of the fourth, so I was trying to find something to do with my time. On a whim with no real plan I called my Aunt Michelle and Uncle Greg that lived in Oklahoma. They lived just outside of Tulsa in a suburb called Bixby. My Unlce was a a buyer. He would go to car auctions and buy cars for dealers. It was a sweet gig, he would fly across the US and stay in hotels and buy cars. All exspenses paid by the dealers. Anyway I called them up and asked what they were doing for the fourth and said that I might be in their area around then. They insisted that I come hangout for a few nights. So that was the plan, drive west towards Oklahoma and stop in and visit the relatives. My borther who was an up coming senior in high school decided to tag a long. We left at 9 pm from our home town Portland, Indiana. It was from map quest about a 12 hour drive. Well we made two stops on the way, both for gas and drove through the night. Arriving in Oklahoma at the time to see a wonderful sunrise. After a ten and a half hour drive we arrived on my Aunt and Unlces door steps at 8 in th morning. Spent a very fun and relaxing week in Oklahoma.

horoscopes

I picked up the paper the this morning, and gave it a look through as I walked to class. I didn't spend much time reading the articles. I did however look at my horoscope. I am a Scorpio, and for the scorpios' in the world today is a 7. I don't feel like a 7, nor do I feel like a 5 or 10. I feel like horoscopes are no better than fortune cookies. A simple vague line that is suppose to make you feel like is true, and totally right for you. Along with being a 7 my horoscope said, today you will recieve much information, some good, some bad. What the hell do you say to that. Its like saying today the sun will rise, ha of course I will recieve much information. Everyone gets a lot of information every day.

Monday Night Madness

I had a nice relaxing weekend, it was filled with lounging and studying. I managed to squeeze in watching some football on sunday. I love to watch football on sundays. I really do not heavily favor any team over the next, but if were to have to tame 1 team it would be the Bears. I mainly watch and see how all the teams do. I play fantasy football, and I compare myself to the other fantasy teams and fantasy analysts. I was really happy come 2 oclock sunday afternoon. Up to that point all players I had playing in my 4 leagues were kicking ass. It was a nice feeling knowing that at the begining of the season you did your homework and drafted that player predicting him to play as well as he did. I use a multitude of sources to get my info coming into a week and setting my rosters. I look and what teams are who, compare them based on how the overall team is playing, and determining if the matchup is favorable. I have done very thus far in my leagues. I am 3-1 in 2 leagues, undefeated at 4-0 in another, and 2-2 in my last. I am very disappointed in my last team record. I lead the league in overall points scored and points allowed. It just so happens that some crazy happens and just nudges me from victory. Like this past week for example. I was dominating my opponent early and until my quarterback got hurt at the start of his game. He did not return and scored zero points for my team. That hurt me but I was still ahead. He had 1 player left to play on monday night. And for the 2nd week in a row I had the lead going into monday night, but managed to lose by a heroic extrodinary effort by some one player in the league. It is frustrating to lose in this manner, but thats what happens when you try to predict the future. I have no doubt I will bounce back.

Needing a New Pair

I was once in a similar situation. There was a kid named Mike that was in my 5th grade class, he got anything and everything he wanted. He had all the coolest toys, the nicest clothes, and the best shoes. It was winter time and our school basketball season was just beginning. I was not among the top players on the team but Mike was. He had the nicest, cleanest, best basketball shoes on the whole team. I was sure that if I were to get a pair I would be one the best too. I begged and pleaded with my parents to let me get some. I tried saying mine were worn out, the coach said we all need the same team shoe, and even that I might die if I didn't get them. It was all to no avail my mother told me if I wanted them I could buy them, but with what I had no money. She also told me that my performance did not lie in a pair of shoes but rather in how hard I worked and how much I practiced. I heard what she said but was not really listening. I t wasn't until the next school year when we tried out again that Mike with his new shoes was not as good as I. I used my summer and practiced everyday. Me and my old worn out shoes made the first team and I then learned practiced makes perfect.

Needing more time

As my college career pushes on I find myself needing a little more time everyday. It almost seems as if minutes go by like seconds and hours like minutes. I have found it very hard to balance things this year. Classes are full of work and time needed spent on studying. Work takes up a portion but can't be cut. Going to the gym was a past time for me, but it had to be cut to free up time. As I continue to learn the ways of the world, I realize that simply is how things are. Being a working college kid is one of the most time consuming lives one can have. Although I try to shrug off the stress that comes along with it. I can feel like some how it is taking its tole. It feels like there is a black hole sucking up me and my time a little more each day. I can only hope that things get better, time returns to normal speed. It will be nice to be able to squeeze in a little more fun.

Sicker than a Dog

That time of year has rolled around once again. The time where the weather begins to cool, and the green turns to brown. Every year at this time I brace myself for the inevitable sickness that goes a long with it. My girlfriend and I live together in our apartment down Wayne street. This year she was the first to catch suck a sickness. It was three weeks ago that she started coughing and sneezing, stuffed up with overburdening mucus. She went to the doctor got some prescribed antibiotics and decongestants, but to no avail still has the same cold. I have tried my best to avoid it, and even her at times. I hate being sick, it makes me feel not like me. I am usually the energetic and fun going person who is always up for doing anything and having a good time while doing it. When I catch a cold I am not the same person only a shell of who I am, more like a zombie who just is in a daze all day. I reluctantly caught that cold from my girlfriend and have not been myself for about a week. I have spent some time talking to the toilet and some more time blowing my nose. I love the fall weather but I hate the colds that come along with it.

Whats New

What to blog about today. Nothing really exciting has been going on, just a lot of the same. AH something to look forward to. I am taking a trip to Indy this weekend to see some friends. First stop I will make is to see my long long time friend Miller. We grew up together through school and always hung out and are still pretty close friends even though he has gone to IU Bloomington for the past to years. This year he transfered to IUPUI and hopes to finish school up there. Anyway we will probably go out and grab a bite to eat and catch up with whats happening with one another and talk sports, we are both big sports guys. My next stop will take me to see another school friend, Kelly. She has always been a great down to earth friend, that you can have a good time with doing anything. I have not seen her in a while so it will be great to get back in touch. While I am in Indy I will have to stop by and see my 2 uncles that live in Carmel, one of which is a BSU alum. They are both some of my closest family, and a riot to be around. I will finish my night by hanging out with a couple of friends at my buddy Matt's birthday party. Most likely I will be there all night (reading books of course, it is a book party) well maybe not reading books but having a good time none the less. I am very much looking forward to my trip to Indy this weekend.

Nothing Much New

As I settle into the school year everything seems to be going pretty routine, almost like clock work, almost a little too ordinary. Each week is alike the next. I get up and go to class I come home, eat and do some studying. Then I go off to the gym to relieve any stress that the day brought. After a shower and some dinner I sit with my girlfriend and watch some tv or a movie, then perhaps some more studying and then off to bed to start the day a new. That has become pretty routine m-f and I am ready to change it up. I need to find some more excitement through the week days. Possibly some intermurals or something. I am looking for something to be different than what I have been for the past three weeks.

A Historical Past

I listening to the reading today about Derek and his childhood as a pig farmer just outside Walbash. I enjoyed hearing it, and it made myself think of anything that my hometown was well known for. I come from a small town about 40 minutes north of muncie called Portland. Portland is not the town it once was, back in the 70's it was booming with industry and was a happening place, but as the years past industry has slowed and we now only have a few big businesses left. We are now more known to be an agricultural community. A place that probably the most famous in Portland would have to be Fisher Meat Market. They have great meat and there success is well known, people will come from state away to get a side of beef done or just to stock up on meats for their deep freeze. The business has been family ran for about 40 years and that is the one place that puts Portland on the map. I am not a farmer or a hunter or a factory kid. I grew up in town with my dad being a carpenter and my mother working a secrectary position. I wish we had something that was a bigger piece of history that people of Portland could be proud of.

Labor Day Weekend

I didn't do a whole lot with my extended weekend but thats the way I like it. I managed to make it to the football home opener on Thursday. I was very happy for the team's dominance. On Friday night I went out with some friends and we had a great night of music and cards games and beer pong. Bright and early at 9 am I woke and was due at the 2v2 Beach Volleyball court by Stu East by ten. My buddy and I weren't feeling the greatest but managed to get there on time. We played the first game, it was rally scoring to 25 best of 3 sets. We lost the first one 25-22 and didn't make a May/Walsh comeback from there. It was a lot of fun and not having any formal volleyball experience probably hurt our team a little but we managed to look like we played before with a couple of nicely executed bump, set, spikes. So by 10:45 we were done and we didn't hang around very much longer to see who would be the victor. Saturday night I stayed in with my girlfriend at my apartment and watched an interesting movie call Wrist Cutters. It was about a couple who split and the guy decides to commit suicide. After commiting suicide he stays in a purgatory like world where you cannot smile and everything is pretty much like the real world but crappier. It had some humor and and touched on some issues all in all I thought is was a very good movie. Sunday was a day of cleaning up the apartment then relaxing. So on Monday my mom came to Munice and hung out at my apartment for a bit and the took me out to eat at Scotty's. It was nice to see her and nice of her to buy me a meal. Monday night at 8 one of my favorite shows started its last season. Prison Break. I had a crew of my friends come over, me and my girlfriend made dinner for everyone and we ate cheesy hash brown hamburger helper and watch an exiting episode. So I manage to get a few things done this weekend but most of all I was able to relax and prepare myself for another week of stress and school work.

New Season Approaches

As the new school starts again, I see many familiar faces and I realize that it is that time of season again. It is that time when football starts, and the fantasy games take flight. Classes begin and football is gearing up to start. I get with my friends and setup a couple of different fantasy leagues. If you are wondering what a fantasy league is, it is where you setup a team of players from the NFL and play against another team in your league. The players score points based on how they perform in real time. It is a lot of fun, but requires a good deal of knowledge and skill to pick and run a team. If you like football and haven't played I highly suggest trying it out. As I sit and wait for opening kickoff I can feel the fun and new season approaching.