It's the third installment of the finals week blog-a-thon. These are like the most chill days of the year. This is even more chill than K-week. One sec, let me send a text to Tom. Ok, I had to wish him good luck on his last final.
So yeah what the fuck everyone? Everyone's moving out! Like the courtyard is littered with SUV's and shit like it was on move-in day. Seriously what is the rush to leave? This place is awesome. And once your finals are over you don't have to do anything but enjoy the beautiful campus and people. Everyone's rushing around like a chicken with their head cut off struggling to get home as early as possible. Which is WRONG! I've been slowing myself down this week. Like literally every day this week I've had less to do and that is nothing short of heavenly! Now that there's only one final left on my horizon, and I've studied up for it and shit already, I'm moving so slow I've almost stopped. Just walking to commons at 3:30 in the afternoon (which is when I woke up this morning) I noticed myself strolling and meandering rather than a stressful speed-walk. And I heard bird chirping and shit and it was so peaceful! It was like the light at the end of the tunnel of this entire semester! I was rolling around in the relief! And then I looked over at some poor father of some sorority chick shoveling pounds of clothes into the family Toyota Highlander and was like wow I'm glad I'm not that guy.
So yeah I'm just taking it easy and enjoying my remaining time here, because I deserve it after how hard I've been working. I rode my bike to the grocery store today and bought some mixers and what not for drinking tonight. I might as well tie off the end of the semester with some Wasted Wednesday action. That'll be nice.
You know what? I've noticed that in the passed couple weeks I've been saying and repeating the phrase "enjoying myself". But it's only because that's like the theme of conclusion of this semester! So I'm gonna challenge myself to do nothing but "enjoy myself" for the entire winter break. It'll be a nice way to recuperate and do this winter break the right way. Fuck yeah.
I wonder what I was doing a year ago. Luckily I've been doing this blog for well over a year so I can easily look up what I was doing a year ago. Let's indulge. Hahahaha those were some good times back then. Snow days, Hobbs not letting me leave class. The truly magical thing about that though, is that despite how great high school was and how much fun and joy it brought me, it doesn't even compare to college. Life gets better as you grow, but only if you're good at it. (fucking facebook status right there). Like I remember so many truly awesome times in my life when I think "this is the best time of my life." But I end up saying that like every six months! Hopefully, that trend will continue. And I'll be sitting on the porch with Doug wielding a cigar and beer in 50 years saying "This is the best time of my life."
No matter where I go or what I do in life, knowing my charisma and positive attitude, I will probably constantly be thinking my life couldn't get better. Luckily, knowing my work ethic and powerful intelligence, I will probably end up being a pilot, a very successful pilot. Assuming I don't fuck anything up, my life should continue to get better and better. HYFR.
Jamal left me a cookie. He's such a good guy. I think I'll have one with my coffee. Mmmm good shit.
I have like goosebumps right now. I knew coming into finals week that as I got closer and closer to finishing the term I would begin feeling an incredible sense of accomplishment. I still have a final left and I'm already feeling this euphoria. Self-Actualization is an incredibly powerful force. Philosophers and psychologist say it's the most advanced determinate to the human ego, and I disagree. The human vagina is the biggest factor for the human ego and has the tightest grip around our emotions. But a close second place definitely goes to self-actualization. Cheers to smart attractive people!
Over the past few nights (of the best sleep I've ever fucking gotten due to my 3am-2pm sleep schedule) I've had several dreams of being on a cruise ship. The reason for this may be because I keep comparing my life to a cruise vacation, but I mean seriously my life is a vacation I can't help it. The neat thing about these dreams though, is that normal everyday things are happening in the dream, it's just I'm on a cruise. It's like the show "Suite Life: On Deck". For example I'll be studying in the stateroom, Jamal will come in and be like "Hey what's up dude, wanna grab a bite to eat with us?" And I'll be like sure, and he'll be like "You drinking tonight?" And I'll be like "Yeah why not" and so on and so forth.
It's interesting. It makes me realize that my life could easily be uprooted, and put on a cruise ship. That's how fucking chill my life is. The lifestyle I have now pretty much reflects life on a cruise ship, minus the beach and ocean and sunshine and Caribbean beach bar destinations. Ok maybe not. But the point is, and I say this in some way shape or form in almost every post: my lifestyle is chill and awesome. Word.
Well, it's almost time for the culmination of the first semester: the last final exam. Like all my other finals, I'll do my best just like my others and after the two hours, 5 pages, and 30 problems are done, my first semester of college is over. Overall I think it was a huge success, I'm now one step closer to achieving my ultimate dream of becoming a pilot. And to think I was able to get through it without cheating, without drugs, without depression, without transferring, without switching majors to psychology, and while still having a great time, I couldn't think of a better way to start college. I'm only 12% through college and I've already mastered it. Now I can relax for three more weeks and then I'll do it again. Until then...
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Bigass 8 on my window
What's up world? Yeah that's right, second blog post in a row. Haven't done that shit since high school. The reason I'm putting down the blogs like my hand's hurting is due to finals week. I've developed a ritual to do my finals, and I think it works pretty well.
I wake up at like 2:00 in the afternoon. I roll out of bed, take a shower, eat, brush my teeth, all that shit. Then I kill some intense studying for like three straight hours. I mean I'm talking motivated studying where I just go geek-mode until I get every single thing right like I've known it all year. After that I relax a little bit and do this blog, tis a solid way to get all the stress out of my head and while I write I sip down the coffee and get focused for the final I have in 3 hours. Then I kill a lite workout and have a little something to eat to further reduce the stress. Then it's fucking show time. I listen to some motivational crap on youtube and get ready to take that test like fuck yeah. Once the test is over, it's a huge-ass relief and I can enjoy the rest of the evening doing whatever I wanna do. Since I had two cups of coffee at like 6pm I typically can't sleep until a solid 3 in the morning, and that's fine by me. So I fall asleep, wake up, wash rinse repeat until finals are over.
There's a bigass "8" illuminating my window drawn out of Christmas lights. That is a little idea I had last night to represent my floor for the rest of campus. I don't know how noticeable it is, or if anyone will understand what it means. But for everyone on my floor that means OCHO BITCH.
So there's a sign on my door that says "Kirwan tower, other insignificant dorms, and Wildcat Lodge will not be closing over winter break." Now that's cool and all, but that makes me wonder what Wildcat Lodge is. That must be the chillest, broest, most amazing dorm on campus. I mean it's called Wildcat Lodge! What do you think of when you hear the words "Wildcat Lodge?". I imagine you walk in and it's like Albion Base Camp at Alta, like there's wood floors, wood walls, wood furniture, a wooden spiral staircase that leads to a wooden loft looking over the wooden lobby. I bet the temperature throughout the Lodge is like only 60 degrees, but the warm fire makes it like 80 in certain parts of the room. I bet it's surrounded by redwoods and shit that keep the lodge shady in the summer but insulated in the winter. I bet every couple of months they have a Wildcat Lodge social and invite everyone to enjoy free food and cocktails while someone plays Canon on the piano.
Yes, if I lived in the Wildcat Lodge I would NEVER leave. On Saturdays and Sundays I would go down the spiral wooden staircase to the lobby and sit by the fire with a cup of coffee and watch the snowfall until noon. Then I would pull out a good book and read until the light of the fire was the only light left. Only then I would grab my coat and gloves and head out to the party. That would be the life, but I'm definitely not complaining about Kirwan Tower.
Ok here's a question I've been pondering for a few weeks now. So we only party at night right? And that is because dark=sexy. So if in Alaska in the winter it's perpetually dark and night, does that mean they party at ANY hour of the day/night? If I lived in Alaska, I would throw a fucking party at 3 in the afternoon! And it would be the livest shit in the county. I mean could you imagine stumbling back home and it only being 10pm? Then you could get a good night sleep and effectively sleep through your hangover. I bet they party a lot in Alaska during the winter; I mean they'd have to to keep from getting depressed.
So I researched it. Drugs and alcohol are a huge problem in Alaska, particularly during the winter. Almost every remote county of Alaska is a dry county with strict laws on contraband. This causes a massive outbreak of organized crime smuggling vices into these remote villages. Due to the drugs and alcohol having to be airlifted into the remote corners of the state, the street cost runs extremely high. Drug and alcohol users blow entire paychecks on substance abuse, which brings their family into poverty. The stress of poverty fuels many drunk rages leading to frequent domestic and child abuse. The family's can't escape drunken fathers, as there is no where else to go--their village could be hundreds of miles of tundra away from the nearest neighboring village. The distress of broken families, domestic violence, and alcoholic and drug-addict fathers leads to teen suicide. Alaska has the highest rate of teen suicide, with some villages as high as 50%. Yeah. 50%. Some torn families will lose even two or three children to suicide. The impoverish families are so poor and isolated they can do nothing with the bodies of their perished sons and daughters, so typical (to relieve the family of burdens) teens will commit suicide by running away from home--into the tundra where they know their chance of survival is Zero.
Yeah I set that up to kinda make you feel like shit didn't I? That was the point. Next time you go pop bottles and get blackout drunk with 200 people you don't know, remember there are some places where alcohol isn't fun anymore. You likely won't drive your children to suicide if you have a drink now and then, moderation is key. Alcohol is less important than just about everything, including wings.
I wake up at like 2:00 in the afternoon. I roll out of bed, take a shower, eat, brush my teeth, all that shit. Then I kill some intense studying for like three straight hours. I mean I'm talking motivated studying where I just go geek-mode until I get every single thing right like I've known it all year. After that I relax a little bit and do this blog, tis a solid way to get all the stress out of my head and while I write I sip down the coffee and get focused for the final I have in 3 hours. Then I kill a lite workout and have a little something to eat to further reduce the stress. Then it's fucking show time. I listen to some motivational crap on youtube and get ready to take that test like fuck yeah. Once the test is over, it's a huge-ass relief and I can enjoy the rest of the evening doing whatever I wanna do. Since I had two cups of coffee at like 6pm I typically can't sleep until a solid 3 in the morning, and that's fine by me. So I fall asleep, wake up, wash rinse repeat until finals are over.
There's a bigass "8" illuminating my window drawn out of Christmas lights. That is a little idea I had last night to represent my floor for the rest of campus. I don't know how noticeable it is, or if anyone will understand what it means. But for everyone on my floor that means OCHO BITCH.
So there's a sign on my door that says "Kirwan tower, other insignificant dorms, and Wildcat Lodge will not be closing over winter break." Now that's cool and all, but that makes me wonder what Wildcat Lodge is. That must be the chillest, broest, most amazing dorm on campus. I mean it's called Wildcat Lodge! What do you think of when you hear the words "Wildcat Lodge?". I imagine you walk in and it's like Albion Base Camp at Alta, like there's wood floors, wood walls, wood furniture, a wooden spiral staircase that leads to a wooden loft looking over the wooden lobby. I bet the temperature throughout the Lodge is like only 60 degrees, but the warm fire makes it like 80 in certain parts of the room. I bet it's surrounded by redwoods and shit that keep the lodge shady in the summer but insulated in the winter. I bet every couple of months they have a Wildcat Lodge social and invite everyone to enjoy free food and cocktails while someone plays Canon on the piano.
Yes, if I lived in the Wildcat Lodge I would NEVER leave. On Saturdays and Sundays I would go down the spiral wooden staircase to the lobby and sit by the fire with a cup of coffee and watch the snowfall until noon. Then I would pull out a good book and read until the light of the fire was the only light left. Only then I would grab my coat and gloves and head out to the party. That would be the life, but I'm definitely not complaining about Kirwan Tower.
Ok here's a question I've been pondering for a few weeks now. So we only party at night right? And that is because dark=sexy. So if in Alaska in the winter it's perpetually dark and night, does that mean they party at ANY hour of the day/night? If I lived in Alaska, I would throw a fucking party at 3 in the afternoon! And it would be the livest shit in the county. I mean could you imagine stumbling back home and it only being 10pm? Then you could get a good night sleep and effectively sleep through your hangover. I bet they party a lot in Alaska during the winter; I mean they'd have to to keep from getting depressed.
So I researched it. Drugs and alcohol are a huge problem in Alaska, particularly during the winter. Almost every remote county of Alaska is a dry county with strict laws on contraband. This causes a massive outbreak of organized crime smuggling vices into these remote villages. Due to the drugs and alcohol having to be airlifted into the remote corners of the state, the street cost runs extremely high. Drug and alcohol users blow entire paychecks on substance abuse, which brings their family into poverty. The stress of poverty fuels many drunk rages leading to frequent domestic and child abuse. The family's can't escape drunken fathers, as there is no where else to go--their village could be hundreds of miles of tundra away from the nearest neighboring village. The distress of broken families, domestic violence, and alcoholic and drug-addict fathers leads to teen suicide. Alaska has the highest rate of teen suicide, with some villages as high as 50%. Yeah. 50%. Some torn families will lose even two or three children to suicide. The impoverish families are so poor and isolated they can do nothing with the bodies of their perished sons and daughters, so typical (to relieve the family of burdens) teens will commit suicide by running away from home--into the tundra where they know their chance of survival is Zero.
Yeah I set that up to kinda make you feel like shit didn't I? That was the point. Next time you go pop bottles and get blackout drunk with 200 people you don't know, remember there are some places where alcohol isn't fun anymore. You likely won't drive your children to suicide if you have a drink now and then, moderation is key. Alcohol is less important than just about everything, including wings.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Bro-Cabin-Sanctuary
Look at this, isn't this fucking awesome? http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/49398927132338398_3mEnkruH_c.jpg
That little thing made my day. Karen sent it to me, how nice of her.
So I'm taking a study break. I've done about all I can for now. I'll do more later but I thought a blog and coffee break would do myself well. The coffee is rather thick and bold this afternoon compared to what I usually drink. It's the same Tribute, however I just made it a little different and I gotta say I like it. Fuck I just spilled it. Brb. Spilt coffee is fucking gay.
So my new best bro Tom Rupp has caused my perspective on my dorm in Kirwan Tower once again. I've compared my dorm to ships, to party caverns, to even a beach. Recently my bro Tom has been avoiding someone in his own dorm, and has been taking refuge with Alex and I in the K-tower. And because of this it's really created this "Bro-Cabin-Sanctuary" feeling. It's a place where my bros can just flock to and enjoy some good music, HD-Clear videogames, a listening ear, and perhaps a drink.
My bros can come here and stay as long as they like (as long as it's not past midnight Sunday-Thursday because I don't have 24/hr visitation) and enjoy themselves in my company. It's quite nice when the rest of my floor leaves for a party, but my bros and I elect to just stay in and screw around. It certainly fits the meaning of "sanctuary". A sanctuary is a place touched with sacredness while being immune from all that is tainted. In college I think this translates to NO BULLSHIT. Which is what my dorm room is.
The Christmas lights I have strung about my side of the room seem to hug you in a series of warm colors. The palm trees that surround you remind everyone that even if it's 35 degrees and raining outside, it's just as warm in this room as it is in Florida. It's just an ambient place for bros to chill and escape from all the bullshit. Girl problems? That bitch didn't get invited to #808. Stressed? Grab a Corona and play some Madden. Parents annoying the shit out of you? They don't live in Lexington and can't bitch at you right now.
That's why I like living here. It's hard to be stressed for very long in the environment I create here in #808. My dorm room really is a sanctuary for me and my bros. I just wish all my bros (Doug) could join me. Doug would enjoy my dorm room, and the time spent inside it.
That's enough bragging about my dorm room. But you gotta admit it's one of the best damn dorm rooms out there.
So I need a vacation. And not a real vacation either I go on real vacations all the time. No. I need a simple, mindless, relaxing vacation. I need a vacation like K-week. (K-week was a fucking vacation. K-week was the easily one of the best times of my life. But that's for a later blog post.) I need a few days of just nothing. Literally nothing.
Here me out on this, I have been thinking, analyzing, computing, reaffirming, checking, rechecking, executing, composing, critiquing, examining, THINKING for like 15 weeks straight like my life depended on it. And that's because my life does depend on it; if I don't think harder than I've ever thought before, then I won't become a successful pilot and my life will be meaningless to me. Thus, I have thought and thought and thought nonstop for like four months straight minus the few hours here and there when I got shitfaced. My excessive thinking has clearly shown on my grades: A, A, A, A, A, B, (W?). But It has also taken a toll on me; my stamina has a limit.
So now, I have THREE MORE DAYS. COUNT THEM. MONDAY. TUESDAY. WEDNESDAY. THREE DAYS of hardcore continual thinking so I can ace my finals. And then I can just stop thinking. Imagine that. For months straight you spend every single day thinking out these hard fucking problems for like 6-7 hours. Then Thursday comes and you don't have to think anymore. You could just stare at a wall and no one will give a fuck!
I'm anticipating it to be a great feeling. However most college students fuck this up by going home the second their finals are over. And this is just a stupid mistake. That is because you can no longer just stare at a wall without anyone caring, because Mom will certainly tell you to stop staring at a wall. So instead of going home, I'm staying at college for like three or four days so I can enjoy the perks of being away from home while not having to do SHIT.
There are two variables of this equation. There's responsibilities (studying, term papers) and there's supervision (parents, you have it in high school, not college). In a nutshell, I haven't lacked both supervision and responsibility since K-week! So why would I go home and return to having parents when I could stay on my own here in my blissful dorm room and not have any responsibilities? So the second my finals come to a quiet end on Wednesday, my vacation begins. And I'll be able to waste time and do whatever the fuck I want without the blandness of returning home and without having to worry about getting anything done.
Over the semester I've learned one really interesting aspect of life in general. Before college, I have adhered to the traditional belief that there are work days, and weekends. You work on work days, and you relax/party on weekends. But that's not true! I know I've blogged about this like ten times by now but I still can't get over it. The only difference between workdays and weekends is that you don't have to go to class/work on weekends. You can still have fun and party on week days, and you will sometimes have to work your ass off on weekends and not have any fun whatsoever. I really like this. It's an added freedom to my life to allow me to do what I want when I want. Due to high school scheduling, I was limited to only have significant fun on weekends. But now I do whatever the fuck I want, as long as I do what I need first. This falls right into place with what I was just saying about a vacation after finals, once finals are over, I have like a month-long weekend. Suck on that high schoolers.
Well I'm gonna go workout, then eat, then take a final. And then I will be finished with Chemistry for the rest of my life. Until next time....
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Coffee and a Story
What's up everybody? It's Tuesday and I'm procrastinating my homework and studying so I decided to sip down some coffee and blog a little bit. We got finals coming up, this semester is certainly coming to a close.
Coffee is a magical substance. It can calm you down while hurrying you up. It can warm you up on a cold day, and help your eyes flutter open on a summer morning. Coffee is the final reagent that makes for an excellent story. I encourage you to make a nice warm cup of coffee to enjoy while I talk about ski bums:) Then I'll talk about coffee more, how does that sound?
So much like last winter break, I'll be going skiing over the holidays. Skiing is a vacation for the soul, no one seems to realize that. You know why it's a vacation for the soul? Two words: Ski Bums. Ski bums are like the most chill people you will ever come into contact with, truth. All they want to do, is make enough money to survive, and ski. That's it! That's their life right there. It's more chill than any other lifestyle out there. Let's break it down and compare...
Pilot: schedules, delays, currencies, weather etc. All makes for a fun challenging vocation but it's only chill when you're really really good at it or when you have significant downtime.
Partier: drama, alcohol poisoning, getting laid. Yes being a professional partier is probably very fun, however I don't think it's that chill. There are too many things to worry about even while partying. Such as finding a party, or getting laid, or all the bitchy drama that revolves around partying.
Lifeguard: Ok this ones difficult. Upon first glance, being a lifeguard is pretty much the chillest shit ever, and I concur to an extent. Looking at the crisp blue shiny pool, catching your tan and sipping a cold glass of water (recovering from a hangover) while getting paid is simply too chill to give a fuck. The thing about being a lifeguard, is even though the kids are screaming and your boss is bitching...Ok stop. There's no way ski bums are more chill than lifeguards. Like I'm sorry but they're not. So I'm gonna go on about how chill lifeguards are instead.
Anyway, even though the kids are screaming and your boss is bitching, your only concern is a fucking pool. That's it. And when RadioDisney heard over the pool sound system starts playing Island in the Sun, you can't help but wonder if you're getting paid for this or not. It's as if your manager came up to you and said "Hey you're not getting paid for this anymore," would you go home or be like, "Actually, I'm quite comfortable, and my tan is looking pretty good. I think I'll stay."
As the summer progresses as a lifeguard, this chillness fades. Which sucks. Once you've lived the paradise job for a little too long, it's hard to not take it more seriously. After a while all you can think about is "Holy shit. If those kids don't stop fucking around, I'm kicking them out." And the paradise is tainted with worries. As consecutive weeks of nonstop lifeguarding start piling up, the worries pile up as well. The carefree RadioDisney music starts sounding like screamo bands and THOSE FUCKING KIDS WON'T STOP RUNNING. That's when you realize that $9.00/hr is not even almost reasonable for the bullshit you have to put up with 7 hours a day.
Then the summer begins to draw to a close. August rolls around and the kids are back in school. The pool slowly empties out and shifts slowly develop into their initial chillness. Things are so slow, with so few swimmers, that you actually get more breaks than time out lifeguarding. I remember laying down on a pool chair on my last day of work. It was 75 degrees outside, not a cloud in sight. We literally had more lifeguards on duty than we had patrons in the pool yielding me a 45 minute break. RadioDisney played the song "Closing Time" and that was when I realized I really can't complain about being a lifeguard, and in fact those times times I didn't think 9/hr was enough I should probably just relax a bit more.
If I work again as a lifeguard this summer, which I certainly will unless I'm shipped off to Kenya, I should probably reread this, and remember how easy and relaxing of a job it really is. And being able to party every night, and then show up at 2:00pm entirely hungover is nothing short of a necessary ingredient for a perfect summer lifestyle.
Now back to coffee. I hope you enjoyed that little anecdote about lifeguarding and ski bums.
Every night I can't sleep, I think. It gives me hours upon hours of straight thinking time. Then usually I immortalize the idea on paper and share it with the millions of intellectual people who follow this blog. So that's what got me started on the infinite delightful aspects of coffee.
As you probably know, I'm a giant fan of coffee. I love the taste, the diversity, the variety, the warmth, the focus, the energy, and the relaxation of it among a multitude of other things. Think about all the times coffee makes for an excellent drink choice.
On a cold morning, you have to wake up for a flight, or for work, or for whatever it doesn't matter. Even if it's in the summertime, your bones are chilled by the nippy morning air. It's a challenge to keep your eyes open as you zombie-walk through the kitchen to make that warm cup of coffee. You're warm. You're awake. IN ONE CUP. #Amazing
It's Friday night. 7:00pm. Classes are over, work's over, homework's done, whatever. Now you're at that limbo period between the summation of the weeks bullshit, and the beginning of the weekend's gratification. But you're a little sleepy and you're jut planning on relaxing to some Madden. Well it's too early for a beer, tobacco isn't practical, but you need some sort of kick to get you ready. Coffee. It'll get you a little hyped up without damaging or possibly sacrificing your night. It'll calm your mind while you enjoy your Madden. #Striking
You're on a four hour flight from Chicago to Los Angeles. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to sleep on the plane as you're have to adjust to the time change. You need a hearty morning beverage to compliment your breakfast at Great American Bagel Co. you just wolfed down. But what could that be? Coffee. There's no way around it. #Heavenly
And my personal favorite, is when you have like three hours to just murder. Let's say, for the sake of the discussion, that Spring Break started 6 hours ago, and you're leaving for Florida in 8 hours. You literally have nothing to do; already worked out, packed up, Xbox just won't do it for you, etc. That's when a visit to Starbucks is in order. Not many Americans know this, but Starbucks actually has a lounge and seating area for you to enjoy your coffee IN THE SHOP. Yeah, so instead of getting Starbucks and running out to your errands, you can actually sit in a comfortable couch, listen to the fusion jazz, and enjoy your coffee in a calming atmosphere. I can throw down in a Starbucks sipping like 10 cups of coffee for three hours. That time is killed... and enjoyed.
Well that blog post came and went. I should probably go get on that studying and chem homework. Shit's gotta get done. Until next time...
Coffee is a magical substance. It can calm you down while hurrying you up. It can warm you up on a cold day, and help your eyes flutter open on a summer morning. Coffee is the final reagent that makes for an excellent story. I encourage you to make a nice warm cup of coffee to enjoy while I talk about ski bums:) Then I'll talk about coffee more, how does that sound?
So much like last winter break, I'll be going skiing over the holidays. Skiing is a vacation for the soul, no one seems to realize that. You know why it's a vacation for the soul? Two words: Ski Bums. Ski bums are like the most chill people you will ever come into contact with, truth. All they want to do, is make enough money to survive, and ski. That's it! That's their life right there. It's more chill than any other lifestyle out there. Let's break it down and compare...
Pilot: schedules, delays, currencies, weather etc. All makes for a fun challenging vocation but it's only chill when you're really really good at it or when you have significant downtime.
Partier: drama, alcohol poisoning, getting laid. Yes being a professional partier is probably very fun, however I don't think it's that chill. There are too many things to worry about even while partying. Such as finding a party, or getting laid, or all the bitchy drama that revolves around partying.
Lifeguard: Ok this ones difficult. Upon first glance, being a lifeguard is pretty much the chillest shit ever, and I concur to an extent. Looking at the crisp blue shiny pool, catching your tan and sipping a cold glass of water (recovering from a hangover) while getting paid is simply too chill to give a fuck. The thing about being a lifeguard, is even though the kids are screaming and your boss is bitching...Ok stop. There's no way ski bums are more chill than lifeguards. Like I'm sorry but they're not. So I'm gonna go on about how chill lifeguards are instead.
Anyway, even though the kids are screaming and your boss is bitching, your only concern is a fucking pool. That's it. And when RadioDisney heard over the pool sound system starts playing Island in the Sun, you can't help but wonder if you're getting paid for this or not. It's as if your manager came up to you and said "Hey you're not getting paid for this anymore," would you go home or be like, "Actually, I'm quite comfortable, and my tan is looking pretty good. I think I'll stay."
As the summer progresses as a lifeguard, this chillness fades. Which sucks. Once you've lived the paradise job for a little too long, it's hard to not take it more seriously. After a while all you can think about is "Holy shit. If those kids don't stop fucking around, I'm kicking them out." And the paradise is tainted with worries. As consecutive weeks of nonstop lifeguarding start piling up, the worries pile up as well. The carefree RadioDisney music starts sounding like screamo bands and THOSE FUCKING KIDS WON'T STOP RUNNING. That's when you realize that $9.00/hr is not even almost reasonable for the bullshit you have to put up with 7 hours a day.
Then the summer begins to draw to a close. August rolls around and the kids are back in school. The pool slowly empties out and shifts slowly develop into their initial chillness. Things are so slow, with so few swimmers, that you actually get more breaks than time out lifeguarding. I remember laying down on a pool chair on my last day of work. It was 75 degrees outside, not a cloud in sight. We literally had more lifeguards on duty than we had patrons in the pool yielding me a 45 minute break. RadioDisney played the song "Closing Time" and that was when I realized I really can't complain about being a lifeguard, and in fact those times times I didn't think 9/hr was enough I should probably just relax a bit more.
If I work again as a lifeguard this summer, which I certainly will unless I'm shipped off to Kenya, I should probably reread this, and remember how easy and relaxing of a job it really is. And being able to party every night, and then show up at 2:00pm entirely hungover is nothing short of a necessary ingredient for a perfect summer lifestyle.
Now back to coffee. I hope you enjoyed that little anecdote about lifeguarding and ski bums.
Every night I can't sleep, I think. It gives me hours upon hours of straight thinking time. Then usually I immortalize the idea on paper and share it with the millions of intellectual people who follow this blog. So that's what got me started on the infinite delightful aspects of coffee.
As you probably know, I'm a giant fan of coffee. I love the taste, the diversity, the variety, the warmth, the focus, the energy, and the relaxation of it among a multitude of other things. Think about all the times coffee makes for an excellent drink choice.
On a cold morning, you have to wake up for a flight, or for work, or for whatever it doesn't matter. Even if it's in the summertime, your bones are chilled by the nippy morning air. It's a challenge to keep your eyes open as you zombie-walk through the kitchen to make that warm cup of coffee. You're warm. You're awake. IN ONE CUP. #Amazing
It's Friday night. 7:00pm. Classes are over, work's over, homework's done, whatever. Now you're at that limbo period between the summation of the weeks bullshit, and the beginning of the weekend's gratification. But you're a little sleepy and you're jut planning on relaxing to some Madden. Well it's too early for a beer, tobacco isn't practical, but you need some sort of kick to get you ready. Coffee. It'll get you a little hyped up without damaging or possibly sacrificing your night. It'll calm your mind while you enjoy your Madden. #Striking
You're on a four hour flight from Chicago to Los Angeles. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to sleep on the plane as you're have to adjust to the time change. You need a hearty morning beverage to compliment your breakfast at Great American Bagel Co. you just wolfed down. But what could that be? Coffee. There's no way around it. #Heavenly
And my personal favorite, is when you have like three hours to just murder. Let's say, for the sake of the discussion, that Spring Break started 6 hours ago, and you're leaving for Florida in 8 hours. You literally have nothing to do; already worked out, packed up, Xbox just won't do it for you, etc. That's when a visit to Starbucks is in order. Not many Americans know this, but Starbucks actually has a lounge and seating area for you to enjoy your coffee IN THE SHOP. Yeah, so instead of getting Starbucks and running out to your errands, you can actually sit in a comfortable couch, listen to the fusion jazz, and enjoy your coffee in a calming atmosphere. I can throw down in a Starbucks sipping like 10 cups of coffee for three hours. That time is killed... and enjoyed.
Well that blog post came and went. I should probably go get on that studying and chem homework. Shit's gotta get done. Until next time...
Thursday, December 1, 2011
I mention YuGiOh in this post...do read on
How's it going everybody. I decided to wrap up the day and evening with a little post before going to bed. It's once again Thirstday, but I'm refraining from drinking like a good boy. There's puke in the bathroom. Yes, already. Just a part of life on this floor.
I suppose it's kinda nice living here. The reputation makes it for an interesting mix. People who don't live here, according to elevator conversations, wonder what it's like for us. The fact that other people wonder about life on this floor makes it at least kinda fun. However it's like being stuck in paradise. If you wanna party, don't leave. But if you don't wanna party, you're stuck. It's like living in Miami but hating hot weather. You just kinda have to deal with it and be happy for the good aspects of your home.
On a broader scale, it's quite neat going to the #1 basketball school in the nation. I didn't know this before but Rupp Arena is the largest arena in North America, including NBA arena's. Yeah that's fucking nuts. And the guys I see in the student center all the time are the same guys I see in the ESPN Top Ten highlights. In addition, I'm getting tickets to the UK/Louisville game and now that Louisville's actually pretty good, this may be one of the biggest games in a while. So I'll be looking forward to that.
Good God do I love happy music. It allows people to enjoy life more. Good shit right there good shit. It reminds me of the Shacklette's residence like five years ago. Those were some happy times. For those of you who don't know, Alex Shacklette was my best friend for quite a few years. He brought out the purely innocent side of me. He had two brothers, and a cul-de-sac full of kids our age. His parents quickly learned how to entertain young guests without relying on videogames, and over time made my life a little less superficial.
Raising children must've been difficult in the digital revolution. I imagine it would've been hard keeping us from constantly playing videogames, but the Shacklette parents pulled it off. For example, they would throw an old mattress over an old couch in the basement. The mattress buckled at the spine of the couch and turned into a massive toy for eleven-year-olds to go nuts on. I remember spending so many nights sleeping on that mattress, it wasn't even level! I struggled all night balancing on the damn thing but I didn't care. However once we grew older, it took more than old furniture to play on to keep us from obsessing over irrelevant videogames.
A way that innocence was procured without us noticing is how the Shacklette residence overstated and changed the definition of vices. As a freshman, sophomore, and even junior in high school, I could have easily joined my classmates in smoking weed and getting an early start on drinking. Instead I spent summer days in the Shacklette household. Cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol were the last thing on our mind. The first thing on our mind was Screen Time.
Looking back, the Shacklette Screen Time Policy (or SSTP) was a little imprisoning to us. Screen time was defined as the daily duration spent interacting with a screen. Screen time was a currency in the household, even for their most valued guests. Each child received a balance of two hours of screen time each day, which could be spent however you wish. Watching television, playing videogames, browsing the internet were all things that drained our balance of screen time.
When we were in our younger years (5th grade, etc.), we all blew a cool 30 minutes of screen time immediately after school by watching Yu-Gi-Oh. After that it was a pretty solid distribution of activities between Super Smash Bros. and Pokemon.
As we got older, approaching those crucial high school years when teenagers typically make it or break it, I learned to never turn the TV on when in the Shacklette residence. The longer the TV is on, the less time we had to play World of Warcraft. Yes, soon enough the time came when visit's to the Shacklette's consisted of playing World of Warcraft straight through until our two hours were up. Our time management was impeccable. Once the two hours were up, it was research time. A small exception in the screen time policy was that if there was heavy reading, thinking, or education involved the time was excused. A way Alex and I used that loophole to our advantage was by reading and researching and planning and simply thinking about World of Warcraft. We discussed strategies, crunched percentages and collaborated with other neighborhood kids to find the best vector to success in our virtual world. We'd do this about three times longer than actually playing the game (or using any other screens). Then, the next day we had another two hours where we'd put our hours of planning into orbit.
It may seem counterintuitive but this actually added to the fun of visiting the Shacklette's. When the biggest thing you have to worry about is how much time you have left to play World of Warcraft, you realize how you don't actually have any real problems. Then when your time is up, you have nothing but time to kill, and you just slow down and relax. When I ate dinner at the Shacklette's it was a slow and relaxing family event. Normally, when there are friends over and dinner is ready, you pause your videogame, woof down a quick hot dog, and resume playing for another twelve hours. When all screens are already off-limits, you are able to enjoy little time-wasters like "family dinner".
After practically growing up with the Shacklette's during weekends I was highly accustomed to the lifestyle. One thing I realize looking back, is that smoking, getting high or drunk etc. were the last things on our minds. While half of the high school is struggling to be with the cool crowd, all that Alex and I wanted to do was get our two hours of screens in. And when we hit the age where we couldn't help but to break the rules, we did. Believe it or not, almost once or twice a week, Alex and I would wake up at 5am, sneak downstairs, and steal an illicit two hours of extra screen time. When the parents came downstairs at 7:30, we simply told them we had just woken up.Once the parents left for work we would go back to sleep for a few hours, wake up, and play more. We were some badasses back then. The funny thing is, as weird as it sounds, that (in addition to our common sense) kept us from doing crap like exploring the liquor cabinet, or getting into trouble in the neighborhood, or hurting each other.
Every Sunday and Tuesday were the longest days summer. Every Sunday and Tuesday were dubbed "No Screen Days", that was when the Shacklette parents unplugged every screen in the house. No screens, for the whole day. Sundays and Tuesdays were the days that massive stick-sword fights broke out in the neighborhood. All day would be spent doing something like making the biggest damn pirate ship out of Lego's and by dinner time have it ready to set sail in the bathtub.
Most friends would simply not go to Alex's house on Sundays and Tuesdays. But as close as me and Alex were, it was difficult to let my best friend suffer like that alone. My thought process was usually something like "Oh it's a no screen day, I bet Alex is bored." Furthermore, the most preferred way to get passed no screen days were to invite Alex to my house, yeah we didn't have the neighborhood of kids but at least we had entertainment.
Spending so many nights at the Shacklette's altered me over time. It could be the reason that even today I have the urge to put down the controller or laptop, and just enjoy myself without screens. Even while writing this, I could be playing Madden instead. On average 97% of children spend at least 13 hours a week on videogames, and average 7.5 hours PER DAY on "screens". In retrospect, I didn't die being stuck in the Shacklette's house with no entertainment, and I also never left to go play videogames by my lonesome at home.
Maybe if we did this as adults (I'm 18 now I count as an adult) we'd enjoy life a little bit more. Instead of obsessing over screens we could obsess over just living. Why don't we turn off phones for dinner? And after our favorite show is over why don't we turn off the TV and find something else to grasp our mind? Over the course of writing this memoir I realized how enjoyable my time at the Shacklette's was. I obviously can't go back to those carefree summers of my life, but I can learn from it and simply slow myself down, shut down my phone, close my laptop, and find something else to do.
I suppose it's kinda nice living here. The reputation makes it for an interesting mix. People who don't live here, according to elevator conversations, wonder what it's like for us. The fact that other people wonder about life on this floor makes it at least kinda fun. However it's like being stuck in paradise. If you wanna party, don't leave. But if you don't wanna party, you're stuck. It's like living in Miami but hating hot weather. You just kinda have to deal with it and be happy for the good aspects of your home.
On a broader scale, it's quite neat going to the #1 basketball school in the nation. I didn't know this before but Rupp Arena is the largest arena in North America, including NBA arena's. Yeah that's fucking nuts. And the guys I see in the student center all the time are the same guys I see in the ESPN Top Ten highlights. In addition, I'm getting tickets to the UK/Louisville game and now that Louisville's actually pretty good, this may be one of the biggest games in a while. So I'll be looking forward to that.
Good God do I love happy music. It allows people to enjoy life more. Good shit right there good shit. It reminds me of the Shacklette's residence like five years ago. Those were some happy times. For those of you who don't know, Alex Shacklette was my best friend for quite a few years. He brought out the purely innocent side of me. He had two brothers, and a cul-de-sac full of kids our age. His parents quickly learned how to entertain young guests without relying on videogames, and over time made my life a little less superficial.
Raising children must've been difficult in the digital revolution. I imagine it would've been hard keeping us from constantly playing videogames, but the Shacklette parents pulled it off. For example, they would throw an old mattress over an old couch in the basement. The mattress buckled at the spine of the couch and turned into a massive toy for eleven-year-olds to go nuts on. I remember spending so many nights sleeping on that mattress, it wasn't even level! I struggled all night balancing on the damn thing but I didn't care. However once we grew older, it took more than old furniture to play on to keep us from obsessing over irrelevant videogames.
A way that innocence was procured without us noticing is how the Shacklette residence overstated and changed the definition of vices. As a freshman, sophomore, and even junior in high school, I could have easily joined my classmates in smoking weed and getting an early start on drinking. Instead I spent summer days in the Shacklette household. Cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol were the last thing on our mind. The first thing on our mind was Screen Time.
Looking back, the Shacklette Screen Time Policy (or SSTP) was a little imprisoning to us. Screen time was defined as the daily duration spent interacting with a screen. Screen time was a currency in the household, even for their most valued guests. Each child received a balance of two hours of screen time each day, which could be spent however you wish. Watching television, playing videogames, browsing the internet were all things that drained our balance of screen time.
When we were in our younger years (5th grade, etc.), we all blew a cool 30 minutes of screen time immediately after school by watching Yu-Gi-Oh. After that it was a pretty solid distribution of activities between Super Smash Bros. and Pokemon.
As we got older, approaching those crucial high school years when teenagers typically make it or break it, I learned to never turn the TV on when in the Shacklette residence. The longer the TV is on, the less time we had to play World of Warcraft. Yes, soon enough the time came when visit's to the Shacklette's consisted of playing World of Warcraft straight through until our two hours were up. Our time management was impeccable. Once the two hours were up, it was research time. A small exception in the screen time policy was that if there was heavy reading, thinking, or education involved the time was excused. A way Alex and I used that loophole to our advantage was by reading and researching and planning and simply thinking about World of Warcraft. We discussed strategies, crunched percentages and collaborated with other neighborhood kids to find the best vector to success in our virtual world. We'd do this about three times longer than actually playing the game (or using any other screens). Then, the next day we had another two hours where we'd put our hours of planning into orbit.
It may seem counterintuitive but this actually added to the fun of visiting the Shacklette's. When the biggest thing you have to worry about is how much time you have left to play World of Warcraft, you realize how you don't actually have any real problems. Then when your time is up, you have nothing but time to kill, and you just slow down and relax. When I ate dinner at the Shacklette's it was a slow and relaxing family event. Normally, when there are friends over and dinner is ready, you pause your videogame, woof down a quick hot dog, and resume playing for another twelve hours. When all screens are already off-limits, you are able to enjoy little time-wasters like "family dinner".
After practically growing up with the Shacklette's during weekends I was highly accustomed to the lifestyle. One thing I realize looking back, is that smoking, getting high or drunk etc. were the last things on our minds. While half of the high school is struggling to be with the cool crowd, all that Alex and I wanted to do was get our two hours of screens in. And when we hit the age where we couldn't help but to break the rules, we did. Believe it or not, almost once or twice a week, Alex and I would wake up at 5am, sneak downstairs, and steal an illicit two hours of extra screen time. When the parents came downstairs at 7:30, we simply told them we had just woken up.Once the parents left for work we would go back to sleep for a few hours, wake up, and play more. We were some badasses back then. The funny thing is, as weird as it sounds, that (in addition to our common sense) kept us from doing crap like exploring the liquor cabinet, or getting into trouble in the neighborhood, or hurting each other.
Every Sunday and Tuesday were the longest days summer. Every Sunday and Tuesday were dubbed "No Screen Days", that was when the Shacklette parents unplugged every screen in the house. No screens, for the whole day. Sundays and Tuesdays were the days that massive stick-sword fights broke out in the neighborhood. All day would be spent doing something like making the biggest damn pirate ship out of Lego's and by dinner time have it ready to set sail in the bathtub.
Most friends would simply not go to Alex's house on Sundays and Tuesdays. But as close as me and Alex were, it was difficult to let my best friend suffer like that alone. My thought process was usually something like "Oh it's a no screen day, I bet Alex is bored." Furthermore, the most preferred way to get passed no screen days were to invite Alex to my house, yeah we didn't have the neighborhood of kids but at least we had entertainment.
Spending so many nights at the Shacklette's altered me over time. It could be the reason that even today I have the urge to put down the controller or laptop, and just enjoy myself without screens. Even while writing this, I could be playing Madden instead. On average 97% of children spend at least 13 hours a week on videogames, and average 7.5 hours PER DAY on "screens". In retrospect, I didn't die being stuck in the Shacklette's house with no entertainment, and I also never left to go play videogames by my lonesome at home.
Maybe if we did this as adults (I'm 18 now I count as an adult) we'd enjoy life a little bit more. Instead of obsessing over screens we could obsess over just living. Why don't we turn off phones for dinner? And after our favorite show is over why don't we turn off the TV and find something else to grasp our mind? Over the course of writing this memoir I realized how enjoyable my time at the Shacklette's was. I obviously can't go back to those carefree summers of my life, but I can learn from it and simply slow myself down, shut down my phone, close my laptop, and find something else to do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)