The Times They Are A'Changin

I'm about to start my last semester at Southern Catholic.

I got a few weeks left of break but I have definitely got to the point of boredom and wish I was back.  All that's left of my break is a trip to Auburn and a bunch of yard-work.  

That said, I want this to be the best possible semester in so many ways.  

Heres how I figure I will do it.  

1. Get straight A's.

2. Hang out with my friends all that I can.

3. Be with my lady friend as much as possible. 

4. Go to Mass more.

5. Watch less TV and just surround myself with friends instead.  

When I wrote that list I realized two things

a) that it will be hard to hang out with my friends and my lady all the time and still get straight A's.  

b) This is how I should live my life from this point on and not just for the semester.  Just substitute "Get straight A's" with "Do my job the best of my ability".  

Also I don't want to leave SCC with any enemies.  I would love to leave with a good track record with everyone. There are only a couple of people that I really just dislike on the campus because most of the people I get along with absolutely great.  

bout damn time...

Alabama finally has a winning season.

It's the first time since I was a kid that I have been more than proud half way through the season at Alabama's performance.
John Parker Wilson grew up down the street from me and I could probably say that I was one of his original receivers back when we played backyard football. I also hated him growing up. He was an incredible athlete, but he knew it and he knew it all too well. JP Dub has totally redeemed himself since we were kids in my opinion. He has been kicking ass but it is totally thanks to all those other players that are doing spectacular. Javier Arenas, Orlando McClain, Andre Smith, Terrance Cody, Julio Jones, and several others are doing freakin amazing.
The best part about it is that they dont let wins get to their head.
Saban has said over and over that he is living in the 'here and now'.
Good thing...
I think the past few seasons we got too excited too quickly.
Keep it up Bama!
ROLL TIDE!

Naturally Evil?

I had to give a psychology presentation for an hour and a half today on personality.  When all was said and done, my professor asked the following question:  

"Do you think that there are some people who are naturally evil?"  

I responded in the negative.

She said "well how do you explain Bundy, Manson, Gacy Jr.?"

I tried to explain to her the following but I think it went right over her head...

God is all good; therefore all that God creates is good.  He also gave us free will.  It is the corruption of that free will in which evil was created.  God does not make humans to send them to hell, but people will go against God and will go to hell.

She then asked, "So you think Bundy, Manson, Gacy Jr., etc.  were not naturally evil?"

I said "of course not".  She asked me to explain...and that is when it was time to leave class.

This put me in to a sort of panic.  Not because of the professor because I just don't like her.  I was anxious because I know that I want to go into psychology someday.  However, my beliefs and others beliefs are huge pieces of what formed my personality.  I knew that if I went into counseling that I wouldn't be able to use that argument for someone who did not believe in God.  Also lets say they did believe in God.  How would I explain grace or unconditional love in a psychology standpoint.  I haven't been taught anything of the sort.  

ugh...

I don't wanna work...

I have gotten to the point in my tenure at Southern Catholic College where I don't wanna do anything.  I mean it...nothing.  I don't want to go to class.  I don't want to study.  I don't want to do laundry. I don't want to wait in line for lunch. I don't even want to shower.  

Do I do these things?

Of course I do.  

I have not missed a class yet.  I study my tail off.  I have done my laundry twice in two weeks.  I stand patiently in the lunch line and I use Old Spice hair and body wash usually twice a day.  

The thing is...I have so many distractions.  I learned my lesson about distractions at South Alabama of course and I am not making that mistake again.  

Every night there is some sort of sporting event going on.  Whether it be volleyball, football, tennis, soccer, softball, or basketball there is something to do.  I love it. 

Last night we played softball and one of the girls used to pitch in a league and she struck me out.  My self-esteem was shot down immediately but that girl became a badass in my eyes.  It's like when you see a girl holding a rifle.  Something about it is just plain awesome.

Finally there are enough people here at SCC to actually do stuff.  The past few years at SCC have been pretty boring most of the time.  I have met some of the best friends I've ever had and I have met some of the smartest people I know, but there havent been enough people to stay busy doing something.  In the new freshman class there are 77 students and only 15 male students.  I'm liking those numbers.  

Also if you haven't listened to an artist named A.A. Bondy, then do so.  It's good stuff.

Good sheet

my friend Dan posted an incredible little tidbit called "she walks in beauty"

I don't know why it caused me to put down the following but I felt like the world should read this by a guy named Og.

God, I thank you for this day.

I know I have not accomplished as yet all you expect of me, and if that is your reason for bathing me in the fresh dew of another dawn, I am most grateful.

I am prepared, at last, to make you proud of me.

I will forget yesterday, with all its trials and tribulations, aggravations and setbacks, angers and frustrations. The past is already a dream from which I can neither retrieve a single word nor erase any foolish deeds. 

I will resolve, however, that if I have injured anyone yesterday through my thoughtlessness, I will not let this day's sun set before I make amends, and nothing I do today will be of greater importance.

I will not fret the future. My success and happiness does not depend on straining to see what lurks dimly on the horizon but to do, this day, what lies clearly at hand.

I will treasure this day, for it is all I have. I know that its rushing hours cannot be accumulated or stored, like precious grain, for future use.

I will live as all good actors do when they are on stage - only in the moment. I cannot perform at my best today by regretting my previous act's mistakes or worrying about the scene to come.

I will embrace today's difficult tasks, take off my coat, and make dust in the world. I will remember that the busier I am, the less harm I am apt to suffer, the tastier will be my food, the sweeter my sleep, and the better satisfied I will be with my place in the world.

I will free myself today from slavery to clock and calendar. Although I will plan this day in order to conserve my steps and energy, I will begin to measure my life in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not seasons; in feelings, not figures on a dial.

I will remain aware of how little it takes to make this a happy day. Never will I pursue happiness, because it is not a goal, just a by-product, and there is no happiness in having or in getting, only in giving.

I will run from no danger I might encounter today, because I am certain that nothing will happen to me that I am not equipped to handle with your help. Just as any gem is polished by friction, I am certain to become more valuable through this day's adversities, and if you close one door, you always open another for me.

I will live this day as if it were Christmas. I will be a giver of gifts and deliver to my enemies the gift of forgiveness; my opponents, tolerance; my friends, a smile; my children, a good example, and every gift will be wrapped with unconditional love.

I will waste not even a precious second today in anger or hate or jealousy or selfishness. I know that the seeds I sow I will harvest, because every action, good or bad, is always followed by an equal reaction. I will plant only good seeds this day.

I will treat today as a priceless violin. One may draw harmony from it and another, discord, yet no one will blame the instrument. Life is the same, and if I play it correctly, it will give forth beauty, but if I play it ignorantly, it will produce ugliness.

I will condition myself to look on every problem I encounter today as no more than a pebble in my shoe. I remember the pain, so harsh I could hardly walk, and recall my surprise when I removed my shoe and found only a grain of sand.

I will work convinced that nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. To do anything today that is truly worth doing, I must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in with gusto and scramble through as well as I can.

I will face the world with goals set for this day, but they will be attainable ones, not the vague, impossible variety declared by those who make a career of failure. I realize that you always try me with a little, first, to see what I would do with a lot.

I will never hide my talents. If I am silent, I am forgotten, if I do not advance, I will fall back. If I walk away from any challenge today, my self-esteem will be forever scarred, and if I cease to grow, even a little, I will become smaller. I reject the stationary position because it is always the beginning of the end.

I will keep a smile on my face and in my heart even when it hurts today. I know that the world is a looking glass and gives back to me the reflection of my own soul. Now I understand the secret of correcting the attitude of others and that is to correct my own.

I will turn away from any temptation today that might cause me to break my word or my self-respect. I am positive that the only thing I possess more valuable than my life is my honor.

I will work this day with all my strength, content in the knowledge that life does not consist of wallowing in the past or peering anxiously at the future. It is appalling to contemplate the great number of painful steps by which one arrives at a truth so old, so obvious, and so frequently expressed. Whatever it offers, little or much, my life is now. 

I will pause whenever I am feeling sorry for myself today, and remember that this is the only day I have and I must play it to the fullest. What my part may signify in the great whole, I may not recognize, but I am here to play it and now is the time.

I will count this day a separate life. I will remember that those who have fewest regrets are those who take each moment as it comes for all that it is worth.

This is my day! These are my seeds.

Thank you, God, for this precious garden of time.             -Og Mandino

Done

3 men.

1 van.

10,296 miles.

I cant believe I'm actually done with this trip.  If you dont know this then I drove all over the country with the two best friends a guy could have.  We had a blast.  This was my last summer to do whatever the hell I wanted to do and I did just that.  

Here are my thoughts about the trip:

Best road food:

Tangerines - These little guys are so easy to peel and you don't have to worry about throwing the skin out because it is biodegradable.  

Best Road:

Highway 1 in California.  This was the most beautiful drive I have ever seen.  Nothing but the pacific for days.  

Best State:  Overall I would have to say California but Texas would be in a close second.  

Best City:  Austin, Texas.  Live music capital of the world.  Pretty Girls.  College Town.  Chilled atmosphere on one side and crazy atmosphere on the other. 

Worst City:  Roswell, NM.  I had a little bit of excitement because you always here about Roswell being the site of many ufo sightings and what not but this was the most dissapointing, boring, just down right dirtiest cities in the Nation.  

Worst State: Kansas.  That place sucked.

Best drink for the road:  Sobe "Nirvana".  

Best camping:  Yellowstone, easy.  

Best meal of the trip:   Keep in mind I had Kansas City BBQ, Octopus Balls, Jellyfish, Chicken feet, Sushi, Baked Salmon, Clam Chowder, Enchiladas, Beef Brisket, and Dim Sum, however the best meal I had was at a random stop in Manchester California where we stopped with Thad's Dad's friend and had freshly slaughtered lamb.  It was amazing.

State with the nicest people: Alabama.

State with the rudest people:  California

Best National Landmark:

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery in D.C.- powerful stuff.  

Biggest Suprise:  

The Extreme Vastness of the Grand Canyon.  

Biggest disappointment:  Niagara Falls.  Just wasn't that cool for me.  but apparently you gotta go over to the canada side to see anything Good.  

Overall this was definitely the best summer a guy could ask for.  I met some awesome people, learned more about myself, ate some good food, and saw some of the most beautiful parts of the country.  

Im getting worried about Will Ferrell

I saw Step Brothers last night and it was pretty damn funny.  However I am worried about my role model Will Ferrell.  Ever since I saw his impersonation of Harry Caray on SNL back in the day I was hooked to this man's since of humor. The best part about it was that it was so original and I wasn't the only one who enjoyed his humor, in fact I am one of the few millions that enjoy his humor.  But here is my worry:

Anchorman, Blades of Glory, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, Wedding Crashers...all of Will's characters in these movies are basically the same.  I personally don't mind this at all.  I could watch him be this character for years to come, but my worry is that the rest of the movie goers will grow tired of his style and it will not be funny in a few years.  

He did do Stranger than Fiction and I thought he did a great job as a serious role.  However I don't want him to pull a Jim Carrey and just do serious roles.  

Please tell me I am worrying over nothing.