Aug. 19th Update

It's been awhile since I've posted a blog, and I thought I'd do a notes-based update.

---Went to my cousin Adam's wedding last weekend. It was out at this really isolated little overnight wedding spot in Julian, CA (about 60 miles east of San Diego in the desert). What a fun weekend. Adam and Katie looked great, their son Ryan is a cute little guy. Very mellow---he seems absorbed in thought at any given moment. This was the first time I've met Ryan and his cousin Nathan---Chris and Adrienne's son. Very cute little guys, but also a reinforcement to me that I'm not interested in any of my own!

I probably drank more over the wedding weekend than I have in years. Wow. So many beers. I'm pretty amazed I wasn't hungover at all! I'm not sure how that happened. The final night of the wedding was crazy, there were so many drunk people everywhere I felt like I was back in college (the first time...) All in all, though, a great weekend and a good chance to catch up with that side of the family, who are all special to me. I'm really happy for Adam and Katie, I hope things work out for them!

I hope that it's not another 3 years before I visit S.D. again. I realized while I was flying down that it's really a secondary hometown for me. Of course Salt Lake will always be my hometown, but S.D. was also important in my overall personal development. It was something different from the sterile, fake feeling of Mormon society, and it was important for me to be exposed to that. Chris and Adam are also two of my oldest, closest friends whom I have known for the majority of life. I'm going to make it a point to get down there more often.

---The transition from Seattle Central to UW continues. Paid my first quarter's tuition last week ($2375) and that hurt. I am so grateful to my parents for helping me out with the tuition this time through college. I had a funny discussion with my mom where she flat-out told me there was no way they would have helped me out the first time, since they could tell I would have just wasted it. I totally agreed with her! That money would have gone down the toilet. I had absolutely no motivation to study back then. While my time at the U of U was very valuable from a social perspective and for the fact it was one of my first experiences with diversity, it was also a terrible waste of time in the classroom. I could never have learned anything then. All of my energy was focused on getting away from the Church in every way possible. I'm glad they didn't finance that, as it was a journey I needed to take alone.

I've registered for a couple of media classes for my first quarter at UW. One focuses on the US and one on Europe. I think it will provide an interesting contrast and comparison. I'm a little nervous about the degree of difficulty and how it might change---I've had a relatively easy time in the past year at Central. It's taken a lot of studying, sure, but the lower-level classes are all survey and little analysis. While I'm excited to do more analysis, and feel it will be more valuable, I also know it's going to require more effort. And considering I've already been feeling maxed-out lately, I'll really have to buckle down with my time management. But it will all work out---and it's sure as shit going to be worth it.

---Also, now that I have been accepted to UW, and my journey there is on its way, I have lately been looking forward, ever so slightly, to the massive upheaval and change that will be possible once I've completed the BA. Considering UW's awesome transfer policy and the fact that I now have an actual 4.0, I've really been re-considering some of the potential career paths I could take. If I really put in an effort and keep my GPA over a 3.5-3.6, I can apply to just about any of the master's programs I've always considered off-limits due to my old Utah GPA. So now I'm looking at potential master's programs in international relations, policy, and socioeconomics. I am only in the initial stages of this search, and I don't yet know what I will find. It just feels great---like a whole new world of potential has been opened. I will update the blog as I discover new options.

This means some of my old plans are now void. I had planned on really focusing exclusively on teaching, which may still be where I will end up. But now that I have the option of possibly entering higher-demand master's programs, I may choose to go into a specific program, graduate, and get a job and a few years' experience in a specific field. And deep down, I have a feeling that I will end up teaching in the long run. We will see. The experience won't hurt either way.

---Summer quarter is over, and it sure went quick. Think I got at least a 3.6---definitely an A in HUM and at least a B+ in ECO. I'm happy because I've got 5 full weeks until fall quarter starts. I need to do some thinking, and it will be good to not have to worry about studying for a little bit. I am also going to do super-long bike rides for the next month. I am going to try to do at least a 2.5-3 hour ride at least 3 times a week while still doing an hour or so on the other 3 days. Saturday will still be my day off. I'm really starting to get fast on my new bike. Wish I had some of the tech-y shit like odometer and speedometer but I'm content to just say I "busted ass" for an hour. I am thinking I will do the Burke-Gilman for the long rides, because that's the easiest way to avoid sharing the road with all the damn cars. Not having to pay such close attention to all the traffic gives me a chance to be a little more meditative.

---M's are a blast to watch, so much more fun this year than the past few. Only 2 games out of first place with 6 weeks to go in the season (and leading the Wild-Card chase!) Richie Rallykiller is a tough nut to crack, though.

---Work is pretty blecch. It's one of those jobs that gets pretty monotonous sometimes, and some of the people I have to work closely with are changing. The new people are not cool. At least not yet. I have been putting bugs in certain peoples' ears that I'm interested in a lateral move. I'd need a new challenge of some sort, though, and after paying tuition, I'm thinking I could use a few more bucks an hour. It's a slow process, we'll see what happens. I guess I'm just a little burned out, although overall there isn't really anything negative going on that I can't deal with for another year and a half. Blecch really just says it best.

---Lots of incredible techno coming out lately. Kevin Griffiths, Luke Fair, Trentemoller, Eric Prydz, others with nice 2007 mixes, and Diggers is as strong as ever. New Prince album - Planet Earth - has been playing in my Ipod consistently. Very tasty. Hope he tours again. Watched "When The Levees Broke," the documentary about New Orleans by Spike Lee. Incredibly moving. Very stark photography and brutally frank interviews with the victims of the disaster. I have a feeling this documentary will prove a valuable historical document. Have been playing "The Bigs" on Wii pretty consistently. Love the pitching and arcade-style batting. Have built up Vince Poopstain to A-Rod-like levels of dominance.

---All else is relative. Today is today and no more. The future is bright.