New Year Here

I can't believe today is the last day of 2009. It seems like just the other day everyone was worried about Y2K and if the world was going to end. I can't think of many ways I would rather end the year than with a few good games of pickleball, being with my family, and later with friends. 2009 as a collective hasn't been too bad, but I am ready for a new year and a fresh start.

Day to Pay

Today I didn't do much at all. I was thinking about going running, but I am still a bit sore from battling the man at pickleball yesterday. If I go tomorrow, it will be the last time I get to play pickleball in quite a while.

Thrice Lost

Today I went to pickleball. Surprisingly, I wasn't even very late. For the first time since I have been there this break, "the man" was there. He challenged me to a game of singles. The first game was fairly close. I was actually in the lead for quite a while. Eventually, I lost. Then I lost again and then again. They were good games, but I am just too rusty to beat such a skilled player. It was fun though, but it would have been even funner to win before going back to college.

Run Done

Today I went running, at least for a while. My feet really starting hurting in several places. I'll blame it on the shoes. I decided it was better to take it easy and walk than to keep running and risk further injuring myself. Hopefully it was just the shoes and not something else or a lack of effort.

Nice Nap

Today I took one of the most glorious Sunday naps I have ever taken. I was curled up next to a fireplace after a fun, but long weekend with not much sleep. It was fun to visit my cousins at the farm, and especially to see how much the youngest one has grown up.

Wind Day

Today I went with some of my family and cousins to a really windy spot called Crown Point, OR. The wind gust were probably around 70 miles per hour. It was the most extreme wind I have ever been in, it was hard to even walk. We also went to a mall and to Yo Cream, one of my favorite ice cream shops.

Full Day

Today my family went to Portland to celebrate Christmas with my father's side of the family. It was fun to see everyone and celebrate Christmas together. I am full, so full.

Christmas Eve

Today is Christmas Eve. It was a nice day spent with the family. We went to a Christmas Eve service and then out for a nice dinner. As is tradition, we opened our presents tonight because we will be traveling to Oregon tomorrow. It was fun watching everyone open gifts and opening some myself. I'm glad the fish I bought my sister didn't die before she got them.

Eve Eve

Today I went running. My right leg has been bothering me a bit, but not enough to keep me from running. I also went Christmas shopping. Whether it was from the pressure of running out of time or from being able to find better stuff, I was finally able to make some Christmas purchases. I still can't believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve.

Ran Route

Today I went running. I run the same route every time. I've thought about running a different route, but I'm pretty happy with the one I've been running. It is also nice because I listen to the same songs so I can tell if I am going faster or slower than my normal pace. Perhaps I'll change it up one of these times.

Gift Giving

Today I went Christmas shopping. Well, it was actually more like looking. I can never find something I am completely happy with to get for someone. When I do, the price is usually prohibitive. I try to find something, but always feel like I end up settling on something I don't really want to buy the person. One positive to this trouble with finding the right gift is it helps to remind me of the real reason behind Christmas, which has nothing to do with being able to find the perfect gift.

Tree Glee

Today we finally got our Christmas tree up, but still need to decorate it. Although, I think it is up earlier this year than most. It is hard to believe it is almost Christmas, well not after you walk inside any store. Which reminds me I need to get some shopping done and sooner rather than later would be good

Redo

If I could redo this morning there are a lot of things I would do differently. I wasn't at my best, and was a lot closer to my worst. However, since a redo is impossible, I need to apologize and learn from my mistakes and try to not make them in the future.

Break and Run

Today I went running. It feels good to be able to be out running again. Well actually, it can be a bit painful, but overall it feels good to be able to. I also went to my father's first grade class for their last day before break party and to their school's Christmas program this evening. It is nice my father and sister will finally be able to join us on break.

Pickleball Playing

Today I went to pickleball. I woke up a bit later than I hoped, so I was late to pickleball. However, I was still able to get in a few games. I even was able to play a few singles games, although they weren't against "the man" just a man.

Art Start

Today I went and helped in my father's first grade class. I helped them with an art project for their Christmas gifts. I won't say much about what it was because of the slight chance it could leak out to the families in his class. It did involve paint, and the students liked getting paint all over me.

"the new kid"

Today I played pickleball for the first time in almost three months. Sadly, I left my pickleball paddle at college. It was the only major thing I left, and remembered leaving it there before I got home but it was too late. I played fairly well considering it had been so long and I was using a paddle completely foreign to me. I had forgotten how much I miss pickleball while at college.

Rain Run

Today it didn't snow like it was supposed to. I woke up not feeling very well, probably not related to the lack of snow, and so I took it easy and relaxed this morning. After starting to feel better, I went for a short run in the rain. I hope to make it to pickleball tomorrow for the first time in quite a while.

Snow More

Today it snowed a little bit. It is supposed to snow more tonight and tomorrow. In fact, my father and sister may have school cancelled tomorrow. Hopefully it does and then I can play in the snow.

Over Run

Today I went jogging first the first time in a while. At college the past week, I was really busy with finals and didn't have a chance to. This morning when I went jogging, it was cold. So cold, I put on quite a few layers and then overheated while jogging.

Gone Back

Today I got a ride home from college. It was a bit of a rushed morning packing and trying to clean the room up before I left. It will take a while to get used to being home again, but it is nice to have all of the family together again.

Super Sleep

Today I slept in the latest I have slept in while at university. I actually slept past breakfast and lunch. But for the first time this quarter, I really had nothing better to be doing. No quarter is complete without getting robbed by textbook buyback, which I did today. I also spent some time cleaning the room in preparation for leaving tomorrow.

Finally Final

Today I completely finished everything for this quarter. I went to the school I help at for the last time and turned in the last of my assignments. It is such a relief to be done. However, it hasn't fully sunk in yet. It is weird to not have something I need to do, it feels like I should be working on something. Even with this freedom, I don't even know what to do, I'm so used to living in the computer lab working on my essays. I'll just try to relax I suppose and make a trip to the hot tub soon.

Essay Day

Today I had my badminton final, if you could even call it that. We only had to show up and we played a tournament for an hour. However, it was at 8:00am in the morning, which was quite a bit earlier than I would have liked. The rest of the day I spent in the computer lab working on my last major essay to finish for the quarter. Tomorrow, I will go to the elementary school for the last time for my mentoring class. After that, I can hopefully finish my essay and other little assignments and be done with everything for the quarter.

Thought for Nought

Today I finally finished my first essay. It could be a maximum of 10 pages, but I was well over 12 pages before I was done with my first draft. After condensing it down, I still was quite a bit over. It hurt, but I had to wholesale erase an entire section of my paper out. All that work and thought for nought, but it would have taken even more work to pick bits and pieces out of the entire essay. After finishing my first essay, I started my next one. I have currently been in the computer lab all of my waking hours today except while I was eating and when I went back to my room for a couple minutes to get stuff for working on my next essay.

Mad Match

Today I continued to work on my essay. Currently, I am starting my ninth page of a ten page essay. It will need to be revised, but it is nearing completion. Then I need to start on my other essay. I think the other essay will be easier to write and not nearly as time consuming, but hopefully that isn't just wishful thinking. I did find time to play some ping pong today. I don't know if it was all the stress being let out or not, but I was playing really well and won every game I played fairly dominantly.

Bad to not Dream

Today was a rather long day. Last night, I had a great idea, or at least I thought it was a great idea at the time. I wasn't going to go to bed because then I would need to wake up and study. It was really actually a pretty terrible idea, but I stayed up late doing basically nothing to avoid going to sleep anyway. Today I logged quite a few hours in the computer lab working on my essay for my European Union class. Based upon pages written and the maximum number of pages allowed, I am supposedly 62% done with my essay. Honestly and rather unfortunately, it is probably closer to 40%. Then when I finish that essay, I have another one to start.

Due Work

Today I didn't get much work done on my essay, nor will I tonight.

Cold Weekend

Today was my last day of classes which should have been a joyous occasion. It was also the day I got my final assignment for one of my classes. Turns out, the final is going to be more difficult than I first thought and spoiled some of the joy of the last day of classes.

I now have two time consuming essays to complete before the quarter is over. Our professor let us out of class quite a bit early after giving us the final. It was almost as if he was admitting we needed all the time we could get to finish the essay. And as he said, "it is going to be cold this weekend anyways." Yes it is going to be cold, very cold.

Left Out

Today I went to the elementary school that I help at. While playing basketball at recess, I fairly majorly rolled my left ankle. I was basically monitoring the game, not really playing, but landed on an uneven surface and my ankle gave out. Historically, it is my right ankle that has bothered me. I guess maybe now they both will.

Quarter Closing

Today was a long day of classes. However, I only have one more long day of classes before the quarter is over. In fact, I only have an essay left for each of my classes, excluding badminton. That being said, quite a bit of time will be taken up by writing these three essays. At least I know what I have to do, even if it is quite a bit.

Locked Out

Today I had a decent amount of reading homework to finish before tomorrow. I had some readings my professor posted outside their office to read, so I was reading on the fourth floor where their office is located. Recently, I found a lounge on the floor and have been doing my reading there instead of in the hallway like I used to.

After finishing my readings, I saw a door I hadn't seen before that lead to a landing outside. I was surprised the door worked and I went out on the balcony. The only trouble was the door wouldn't open from the outside. I was stuck out on the balcony. After waiting to see if anybody would enter the lounge and open the door, I recruited my roommate to come save me. I am thankful for a nice roommate and that I wasn't stuck outside for too long.

Off

Today was my last day home. I woke up not feeling very well at all. While being home, my sleeping, eating, and exercising routines have been completely disregarded and that problems explains why I wasn't feeling normal. Thankfully, I have slowly started to feel better.

Turkey Bowl

Today was a fun day home with my family. I went bowling with my brother. We bowled quite a few games. I didn't get a turkey bowling, but I did eat some more turkey for dinner. It will be sad to leave tomorrow, but I'll be back home for break before I know it.

Black Friday

Today was Black Friday. I did a little bit of shopping, but mainly because I hadn't been shopping at a store since I went to college, not because of any sales that were going on. My family went bowling with my grandparents. It was fun even if I am a terrible bowler, or perhaps because I am. Tonight we went to a game night at our family friend's house. It was fun and it is not every day I get to beat both my mom and dad at ping pong.

Thanksgiving Day

Today was Thanksgiving. At first I was a bit disappointed our family wasn't going down to Oregon as we usually do for Thanksgiving. However, it was nice to be home this year and not have to travel. It was also nice to have my grandparents join us. It was a fun time with family and lots of good food.

Reroutine

Today it was nice to be back home. I had been well over a month since I had last been home. I went to help out in my father's second grade class today. I also went jogging around my old route. It is just really nice to have all the family together again.

Going Back

Today was a long day of classes. It was made only longer by waiting for them to be done so I can head home. I am very excited to be heading home for the first time this quarter and to celebrate Thanksgiving with the family.

Plans

Today I had quite a few things planned to get accomplished. Unfortunately, I didn't get a lot of the stuff done I had planned to do. Thankfully, a lot of the stuff can be done tomorrow. Sadly, that means tomorrow will be very busy. However, I am headed home tomorrow for the first time this quarter.

Unsuccessful Sundae

Today is Sunday. I often look forward to Sundays for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons is Sunday Sundaes in the dining hall. There is nothing quite like ending one week, and starting the next one, with a big huge bowl of ice cream.

Tonight the line was especially long, and there was some cutting going on, but I didn't really care. I knew the prize waiting at the end of the line was well worth waiting a bit. When I finally got to the ice cream, both were pink. I was a bit disappointed, all I wanted was vanilla. I took the less pink ice cream that looked like it was vanilla.

Turns out, white chocolate and vanilla are not the same. The ice cream tasted nothing like I thought it should. Even smothered in hot fudge with bits of Oreo and some cake mixed in, it tasted wrong. I didn't really enjoy my sundae, although I did end up eating most of it. I'm sure there are plenty of life lessons I could have, or possibly should have, learned from this. Mainly I'm just waiting until next Sunday in hopes that my belief in Sunday Sundaes can be redeemed.

Hot Tub Time

Today I went to the Rec Center. After working out, I had an extended stay in the hot tub. It had been quite awhile since I had been in the hot tub. It was very relaxing and it won't be long before my next visit to the hot tub.

Slowly Registering

Today was a bit of a hectic day. I woke up 10 minutes before I was supposed to have a meeting with someone. It was also two hours after I was supposed to register for classes. I ended up registering for classes and having my meeting. I'm not super excited about the classes I registered for, but there is still some time to try and change things.

Thursday of Realization

Today is Thursday and therefore I had my classes. I can't believe Thanksgiving is in one week, which means this quarter is rapidly coming to an end. It also means I am registering for classes tomorrow morning, which I still need to figure out what I want to take.

School Stuff

Today I worked at an elementary school. I wish I spent more of my time helping in a classroom, but I am still able to help other ways. I have a few tentative schedules planned out for next quarter. I still need to finalize things before I register Friday morning, but even then I can only hope I get into the classes I want.

Snack Attack

Today was the longest day of classes I've had for about a month. In my second two hour political science class, with about an hour left, I was pretty tired. Thankfully we had a five minute break before our second hour of lecture. During this time, I bought some food. Not only because I was very hungry, but because the very act of eating would help keep me awake. It was a very good cookie and served its dual purposes very well.

Out Cold

Today, in the early hours of the morning, the power went out. It has been really stormy here and is supposed to continue to be for the next couple days. I dreamed the power had been turned back on twice before it actually was turned back on. It was weird not knowing what time it was in the morning, but I didn't really want to. In the end, the power outage was a good excuse to get two more hours of sleep than I normally would have.

Class Conflicts

Today I looked at the schedule for next quarter's classes for the first time. I've been putting it off because I don't want to decide whether or not I am going to take calculus. If I want to take upper level economics classes, I need to take the calculus class. If I don't end up taking upper level economics, taking calculus would just be an elective. I'm also interested in taking some writing classes, but would probably need to declare it as a minor before I could do so. In other words, I need to make some decision about what I am going to take which is keeping me from looking at the schedule at all because that would force me to make those decisions.

Cold

Today it was pretty cold outside. The past few days, it has been getting cold. I heard rumors it was going to snow, but I think they were only rumors.

Post Projects

Today I went to the Rec Center. I had been so busy with projects earlier in the week that I couldn't really justify going to the Rec Center. Now I don't really have any major projects in any of my classes until finals week. It is a bit of a strange feeling, but a good one.

Registration Registers

Today being a Thursday, I had my classes. Which reminds me, I need to start planning my classes for next quarter. I don't really have any idea what I should/want to take. I believe registration starts soon so I should really figure that out.

Truly Thankful

Today there was no classes because of Veteran's Day. I don't have classes on Wednesdays anyway, but with everyone else not having classes it felt like it was the weekend. I would like to thank all the people who are serving or have served in any branch of the military. They perform an important service to us and our country. That is truly something to be thankful for, not just for getting a day off in their name.

Luxembourg Represented

Today was a bit of a whirlwind. I had so much stuff to finish this morning before my classes, I was racing around all morning trying to get it all done. I had to print twenty copies of a five page handout and the printer wasn't working. Eventually they printed and I had to run to get them outside my professor door and make it to my class before my essay would be marked down ten percent if I was tardy. I also gave my presentation on Luxembourg today. It went well. About an hour after giving my presentation, I checked my mail and I had gotten a big packet of stuff from Luxembourg in the mail today. It would have been nice to have before or for my presentation, but it was still kind of cool to get anything at all.

Working Man

Today has basically all been spent working on my presentation. I finally finished the handout. It is good that I am done with the handout, but I still need to work on the actual speech itself. However, my second feminist essay is due tomorrow which also needs some more work and is a much larger percentage of my grade compared to my presentation. On top of all of that, I still have the normal reading homework for both classes which will take several hours. Let's just say that it has been a long day, and it isn't anywhere near being over.

Sunday not of Rest

Today I got quite a bit of work done on my essay that is due on Tuesday. I also got some work done for my Luxembourg presentation, which is also due Tuesday. However, both still have a way to go before being complete. For that reason, tomorrow is going to be a busy day.

Slept Away

Today I almost missed brunch for the first time of my collegiate career. On weekends, brunch closes at 1:30pm. I woke up at 1:27pm, and didn't think I was going to be able to make it. I threw on some shoes and literally ran to the dining hall and barely made it in time. It was sort of a mixed feeling. I was glad I made it to brunch and got some food, but not very glad a good portion of my day was gone.

Frugality

Today was a busy day of no classes. I have quite a bit of stuff to do this weekend. I know I have enough time to finish all that I need to, it is just a matter of spending my time wisely.

Windy Day

Today was a very windy day. So windy, it was difficult to walk at times and very hard to open some doors the wind was blowing against. I really enjoy the wind, especially as it blows the falling leaves around.

Pointless Arguments

Today was a busy day. I went to an elementary school and helped out with 5th graders for much of the day. It was neat helping a student struggling with decimals and see him start to understand them better after working with him. I also lead a game of soccer for their PE class, most of my time was spent settling pointless arguments but I guess that is the life of a 5th grader. The rest of the day was spent finishing reading homework and working on my essay.

Now I Know

Today was a fairly busy day. I got back my first feminist essay, and have already started on the second one. I didn't do as well as I had hoped on my first essay, but I think a mix up about my topic when cleared should improve my grade. Besides, I think there are some classes you just can't do well in for whatever reason. For me, feminist political theory happens to be that class. Now I know.

Monday Back

Today it was nice to get caught up on my sleep. I am going to try to use fall back to go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier. At least that is the plan. Today I had a bit of homework I needed to do. I had even more I wanted to get accomplished, but didn't.

Back from Camp

The past few days at camp were a lot of fun. I was very thankful for fall back, allowing me to get a much needed 'extra' hour of sleep. It was a great weekend with friends, playing, learning, and bonding together. A highlight was playing tackle ultimate frisbee in the rain.

At Camp

Today I am most likely at Fall Camp. At least that is where I plan to be when I am writing this because I won't have Internet access while I am there. If camp is anything like it was last year, it will be a lot of fun.

Bay Day

Today I went jogging down to the bay. It had been a couple days since I went running. Partially because of the weather, but also because I didn't feel it could be justified when I had a midterm I should be studying for. But now that my midterm is over and the weather was nice, it was an excellent day for a run to the bay.

The midTerminator

Today I had a three hour break in between classes to study for my midterm. However, only about an hour of this time was productive. That being said, it was a very productive hour.

For the past few days, one term in particular had been giving me troubles, the term transactionalism. I searched all through the highlighted sections of my textbook. Right before class, I was flipping through the book when I found the term. It was in a non highlighted section because I had borrowed a friends book when I read that part.

It all started to make sense. Well there were still some parts I wished I knew better, but thankfully they weren't a part of the essay question. And yes, transactionalism was part of the essay. It was a great feeling to be able to write an essay I was happy with for the midterm, but it was an even better feeling to be done with worrying about it.

Midterm Time Out

Today I spent quite a bit of time studying for tomorrow's midterm. However, I don't feel I've studied nearly enough yet. In fact, the more I study, the less prepared I feel. It is a terrible feeling. Thankfully, this midterm is just that, a midterm. In the grand scheme of things, it isn't that important. Nonetheless, I hope it goes well.

Tour Day Force

Today 800 fifth grade students visit Western for the Compass to Campus program I am a part of. I was on a team with two other students who toured three fifth graders around campus. It was fun, and even I got to see some places on campus I hadn't been yet. I thought they were going to tour my dorm room, so I got it all clean. They didn't end up touring my dorm room, but at least it is now cleaner.

Page Passing

For my European Union class, we either have readings from a textbook or readings he puts outside his office to read for each class. For tomorrow's class, the readings were supposed to be posted outside his office. When I got there, both of the copies of the reading were gone.

I walked to a lounge nearby, and found two people from my class. For whatever reason, there was only one copy of the reading between the three of us. It was sort of funny to have to hand pages to each other when we were done reading. What wasn't funny or fun, was having a huge pile of readings to read before tomorrow the class before our midterm.

Midterm Time

Today I started to study for my midterm on Thursday. The study guide consisted of a paragraph saying we would be writing an essay for our midterm. In other words, we basically need to know everything we have been taught so far. I also started researching the country Luxembourg for a presentation I have in that same class. Thankfully, the presentation isn't for a couple weeks.

Happy Birthday Dad

Soccer Scrimmage

Today has, and will continue to be, a busy day. I got some homework done, although there is much more I should work on this weekend. Should doesn't necessarily mean will, although it should. This afternoon, I played a soccer scrimmage game in the rain. It was fun except for when I was standing around as goalie and when I pulled my muscle.

Negated Gains

Today was a long day of classes. Thankfully, I have a nice three hour break in between badminton and my political science class which helps. I was able to go the rec center before class during this break. Unfortunately, my dinner and subsequent dessert more than negated any positive benefits that could have been gained from going to the rec center.

Back to the Basics

Today I was basically a 5th grade student. I got to the school around 11:45am, and was introduced to the classroom I will be working with and helped them with the metric system. I then went to lunch and recess with the class. After lunch, I helped a small group of students with math.

I was told to help with PE after that, but the PE teacher didn't have a class at that time. I was sent to the principal's office, which was a bit awkward. He seemed a bit frustrated with the group of us who didn't have a PE class to teach, like it was our fault.

In the end, we just waited until the next PE class, which was more than alright with me because I had homework I needed to work on anyway. It was fun playing dodgeball with the kids, although I had to remember to take it easy on them. Overall, it was very fun working with the students. They were all excited to have college students helping out, and it is exciting to help mentor them.

Tired Tuesday

Today started out with some fun games in my badminton class. I normally have a mentoring class right after that, but now I will be going to an actual classroom instead of sitting in one at college. Tomorrow will be my first day helping out in a 5th grade classroom. With my spare time, I was able to go the rec center before my back to back political science classes. For whatever reason, I was extremely tired during my political science classes. I can honestly say it was the first time I thought about falling asleep during a class but it would have been a bad idea seeing as it is a small class and we were all sitting in a circle. It didn't stop one guy in my class today from sleeping, but thankfully I was able to make it though the class.

Gone By

After today, I have now been at college for a month. It hasn't seemed like that much time has gone by. But at the same time, I've really formed a routine and college life seems normal. The only bad part about being at college for a month is that midterms are just around the corner.

Sibling Soccer

Today I played in a rec soccer game. I was disappointed to not be on a team, and was really missing playing soccer. I found out about a team that could maybe use some players, so I went to their game tonight. They were actually one male player short, so I was glad that I showed up. The game was fun, even if our team didn't win. I didn't do much besides run like a mad man all over the field, but that was fine with me. It was especially fun playing on the same team as my sister for the first time in my life.

Flooding and Burning

Today has been a bit of a crazy day. Late last night/early this morning, there was some flooding from all the rain and downed leaves. This afternoon, there was a torrential downpour accompanied by thunder and lighting. At dinner tonight in the dining hall, someone released some pepper spray. Every one's throat and nose were burning and they had to clear that portion of the dining hall out.

New Season

The past few days, it has become especially apparent that the seasons are changing. The leaves are changing color, and falling off the trees. It has become windier, and the rainy season is here. I think I am okay with this though.

It Is Finished

When Danny approached me (he actually called me on the phone) and asked if I would mind writing a blog post, I leapt for joy (I actually said 'sure; all right'). Thoughts soon turned to what I should write. I thought about writing about how Danny finished his paper for his Feminist Theory class today, but ultimately decided against it. I briefly considered writing about our (by our, I mean my, my dad, my mom, and sister Gabby's) surprisingly tasty tofu stir-fry dinner. That, too, was nixed. Maybe I should about thinking of an idea to write about... Nah: that would never work.

First Choice First

Today was a long day, which is slightly ironic because I didn't have any classes to go to. I basically had all day to work on my essay, but also all day to put off working on my essay. I also had reading to work on when I was tired of writing. Today was the first time I went inside the dorm I originally picked as my first choice to live in over a year ago. It was nice, but I am happy with where I ended up.

Not Bad Badminton Ton of Work to do

Today my badminton team went undefeated in badminton, which was a nice way to start the day. That was the highlight of a long day of classes, a very long day of classes. As was expected, my essay was critiqued quite a bit, which means I have another long day of essay revising ahead of me tomorrow. I will be so glad when this essay is turned in, but that feeling will probably go away when I find out what grade it got.

Uneasy Essay

Today I finished the rough draft of my essay. Tomorrow it will be critiqued by my classmates. It will be interesting to see what they think about it. Then I will have until Thursday to polish it before the final draft is due. I am a bit worried about this essay, and I will be glad when it is finally turned in and I am done with it.

Work Goes On

Today I continued to work on my essay. I am a bit happier with it now, but it seems recently I have been erasing more than I have been writing. The rough draft is due Tuesday, so I still have a bit more time to work on it. Tonight I was invited to go to dinner at a friend's apartment. It was an excellent dinner and it was nice to have a non dining hall meal.

Paper Problems.

Today I spent quite a bit of time working on my essay. I am not very happy with it so far. Hopefully, I will be soon because it is worth 25% of my grade. I was able to play some soccer today, which was fun even if it was only 3 vs. 3.

Building Block Begins

Today was a rather productive day. I spent a solid amount of time on my essay. Even though it isn't anywhere near completion, it is good to at least have a decent start to build upon. I also went running, which I haven't had the time to do the past few days.

Prompt Response

Today was a very long day of classes. The essay prompt was given out in feminist political theory class. The rough draft is due on Tuesday, with the final draft being due on Thursday. Most of my weekend will be spent working on this essay, and it is a bit of a daunting task.

Walker

Today I went for quite a long walk. Over the summer, I formed a habit of almost nightly walking our dog. Although sadly the dog isn't here at college, I have tried to continue the habit of going for walks. They seem beneficial for a multitude of reasons. So far, especially with the weather being decent, I have been able to go on a walk almost daily. It is a habit I hope, but don't necessarily expect, to keep.

Slowly Better

Today was a busy day. I was busy from 9:00am until 10:00pm, with only a little bit of breaks in between. Thankfully, I am slowly starting to feel better or today would have been a lot worse.

Long Day Off

Today was a long day. I haven't been feeling 100% the past few days, and I have been feeling progressively worse. Thankfully, I didn't have any classes or go to, or even much homework to do. Tomorrow will be an even longer day if I am feeling worse and in class all day.

Decluttered Desk

Today I finally got around to organizing my desk. There is still a little bit more work to do, but it isn't nearly as cluttered as before. It had become a convenient location for placing things I wanted to deal with later. It will be nice to actually have a functioning and organized desk. However, it probably won't make homework any more enjoyable.

Animal Adventure

Late last night/very early this morning, I went on a walk around campus and down to Boulevard Park with my roommate and sister. At the park, we saw glowing otters swimming in the bay. On the way back to campus, we saw an owl and a buck. It was quite the adventure.

Due Date

Today I had an essay to write. For perhaps the first time in my academic career, I waited until the day something was due to start it. It wasn't on purpose. Our teacher didn't remind us about the assignment, and I had so much other stuff to work on in my other classes. Thankfully, I was able to finish the essay today and am happy with how it turned out. Even though successful, I don't think I will wait until the day something is due to start it, or at least not very often.

Post Presentation

Today went much better than I thought it would. My presentation wasn't nearly as stressful as I made it out to be. The preparation and anticipation was the only difficult part. Once the presentation started, we were basically able to sit back and watch the classmates work on some questions we had prepared. I am so glad to have gotten it out of the way.

Wild Wednesday

Today was an extremely busy and stressful day. Welcome to college. On Tuesday I signed up to co-lead my feminist political theory class with another student for 45 minutes. It was either be the first group to go, or the last. We decided to get it out of the way.

However, it is an extremely daunting task to lead such a class, especially as males, and to be the first group to do so on such short notice. Nearly all of today was spent getting ready to lead the class, and of course I had other homework to finish as well. I'll be glad when tomorrow is over.

Full Tuesday

Today I was in class nearly all day. My first class was at 10:00am, and my last one ended at 6:00pm. Classes are getting a bit stressful. I have a lot of things to get done before Thursday, so much, it is good I don't have any classes tomorrow.

New Schedule

Today I didn't have any classes. I ended up changing around my schedule so I now only have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My two 400 level political science keep me pretty busy on the days I don't have classes though. Much of today was spent trying to track down the textbook I needed to read before class tomorrow, but I was unsuccessful. Not the best start to a new class.

Teenage Terminated

Today I turned 20. It is a bit weird no longer being a teenager. I sort of feel like an old man. My sister made a really fun scavenger hunt around campus for me, the prize waiting at the end was very unexpected and generous. Thanks Sarah. I also played some frisbee and a board game with some good friends. It was a nice way to celebrate a birthday.

New Age

Today is my last day of being a teenager. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. Thanks mom for sending me the box of cupcakes. I probably shouldn't have shaken the box until I knew what was in it, but they survived for the most part.

No Class

Today was my first Friday on campus. Even though I didn't have a class to go to (sort of), I still had quite a few things to get done. Thankfully, I got everything done that I needed to. I am looking forward to the weekend.

Dropped

Today I had two of my classes for the first time. These classes seem like they will be both fun and interesting. My other class is not looking so good. It has been extremely stressful thinking about dropping it and trying to find another one to add in its place. I need to make up my mind one way or the other, but am having trouble doing so.

First Day of School

Gearing Up

Late last night, I played some pretty fun dodgeball. I got hit in the face, which hurt even more because I had already gotten out, but still had a great time. The last game of the night ended with one player on each side. They both simultaneously hit the other person, causing the first tie I have ever seen in a dodgeball game. Today was mainly spent relaxing and gearing up for the first day of classes tomorrow.

Lofted

Today my roommate and I lofted a bed. It was a bit of work to loft a bed in our room full of stuff, but we were able to figure it out. I also finally got around to making my bed. I also was able to finish a bit more of the unpacking, but still have a bit more left to do.

Back in Bellingham

Today the rest of my suite mates moved in, as did most of the other people living on campus. So far, things are going great. I really like my dorm room, and especially the shared living room and balcony. It has been fun making new friends and catching up with old ones. Today I helped build a cardboard fort and played some soccer. I also was able to buy my textbooks.

Back to School

Today I got to college. It was a bit of a whirlwind the past few days packing and preparing for leaving. It is exciting having my sister here this year and having a dorm room with a living room.

Pictured: Saying good-bye to my little sister.

Party and Panic

Today we hosted a party for my little sister. It was quite a bit of work to get ready for it, but she really enjoyed it, which made all the work more than worth it. All the girls from her class were invited, and they all showed up.

Tonight has been a bit crazy, as we decided to leave for college tomorrow instead of Sunday as we had originally planned. I've officially fallen into a packing panic, and it doesn't help that my dinner consisted of only cake and ice cream. I sent most my stuff with my roommate already, but still have all the little things to pack and worry about as well as things to wrap up before I leave.

ComPacked Closet

Today I finished packing. It took nearly all day, but I am finally done. My gracious roommate is taking it up to college for me tomorrow. It will be a bit weird not having a lot of my stuff for the next couple days until I get to college on Sunday. The possible clothing combinations are definitely lacking, but it feels great to be done packing.

Unlacking Packing

One week from today, I have my first day of classes. Unrelated to that fact, I started packing today. I usually like to wait until the last minute for these sorts of things, but decided to start a bit earlier than normal. Packing is inevitable, so I may as well get it done. I had forgotten how much stuff I have, and how much of it I want with me at college.

Birthday Bash

Today is my brother and sister's birthday. No, they are not twins. They were born 13 years apart. We had a nice party with both sets of grandparents. In fact, it was sort of my party as well since I will be at college for my birthday.

Pick Up

Today I walked to my sister's school to pick her up. When I told her I had walked to her school, she asked how we were getting home. She was excited to walk home, but we were both thankful when a classmate gave us a ride after we had been walking for 10 minutes.

Kite Flight

Today I tried to fly a kite for the first time in years. It was fairly gusty, but the wind wasn't quite constant enough for very successful flying. It didn't stop me from trying though, it just meant quite a bit of running to try to get the kite to maintain flight. Even though the kite didn't fly too well, it was still fun and needs to be attempted again when the conditions are more ideal.

Running Blind

While I was running today, a van full of people went by waving. I don't know if I knew the people, but it sure seemed like they knew me or were really excited to see a jogger, so I waved back anyways. I often have people yell, honk, wave etc. at me. Sometimes I recognize the people, but most of the time I don't.

While I run, I usually am physically exhausted, thirsty, listening to music, and focusing on my running rather than the cars that are going by. For all those reasons, it is perhaps understandable I don't always recognize who is yelling at me or what they are saying. From past experience, it is just as well sometimes to not understand what people are yelling at me. So if you ever see me jogging, and honk, yell, wave etc, don't take it personally if I don't respond.

Field Trip

Today I went with my sister on a field trip to her teacher's house. It was nice to be able to go on a field trip with her before I leave for college. It was also nice that her teacher lives on a lake and that the weather was nice for swimming.

Win at Losing

Today I went to pickleball. Some great games were played, some of which were won, some of which were lost. In a truly great game, it doesn't matter if you win or lose. Of course it is always fun to win, but it is more fun to have the game be close. I would much rather lose a game that goes to overtime, than win a shutout. The key is to always try your hardest and then accept the outcome knowing you gave it your best.

Sweet Surprise

Today my sister and I picked up my brother after he had been working for a family friend. We were at the gas station where we thought he was meeting us, but saw no sign of him. We eventually spotted him at a diner across the street.

At the diner, we sat down at a table across from my brother. We weren't planning on buying anything, especially since we already had dinner before we left to pick him up, but felt like we should when the waitress brought us a menu. We ended up splitting a milkshake. The point of this story is that sometimes you can be in for a sweet surprise when you least expect it.

In Charge

Today my father's school had a back to school picnic of sorts. My sister and I were "in charge" of having an activity for the kids to do. We didn't really know how many kids there were going to be, the ages of the kids, the location of the activity for the kids, or duration of time we were supposed to entertain them. We ended up starting a soccer game, and the group of kids basically became self contained. It is hard to believe my father and sister start school tomorrow. I wish them the best this school year.

Running Out of Time

The past few days, I haven't been feeling 100 percent. I think I may have a cold. With summer ending and school starting, I've also been a bit out of whack. I'm just a bit worn down and have lost motivation as I feel time is running out to do anything. It seems I should have the opposite response, but that has not been the case. I did go running for the first time in a couple days, but it wasn't the best idea to run in the rain with a cold.

Two Weeks Notice

I leave for college in exactly two weeks.

Season Started

The past few days, the weather has not been too nice. It has rained on and off, wrecking possible outdoor fun activities. It seems summer has officially ended, and the rainy season is here to stay.

In Line

Playing Pickleball

Today I went to pickleball. For the first time in quite a while, I got to play some singles. It wasn't against the man. He got injured, so he hasn't been at pickleball for quite some time. I'll miss pickleball when I go to college, but will enjoy playing soccer instead.

Running Low

The past few days, it has slowly started to sink in that summer is ending. The public schools started yesterday, and my sister and father start next week. In exactly three weeks, my classes start. I am happy for school to start again but I will miss summer. If there is anything left I want to do this summer I better get to it, or I will run out of time.

Full Day

Today was my cousins last full day here. We had one last time swimming, even though the weather wasn't as nice as it has been. As has become custom, we had a great meal. Tonight we had a fire by the lake. It was a fun time and a nice ending to our time together here this summer. It has been a lot of fun having them up here, and they will be missed. Thanks Tings, it has been fun.

Movies

Today I watched two movies, one far better than the other. My brother, cousin and I went to watch a movie in the theater. It was one of those movies that is only minutely entertaining because it is being watched in a theater. Tonight, the cousins and grandparents watched a movie. It was on a much smaller screen than the first movie I watched today, but was a far better movie.

Back to the Barbecue

Today I went to a salmon barbecue for Western alumni and incoming students. It felt weird to reflect and remember that it was just a year ago that I attend the same barbecue as an incoming freshman. It feels like so much has changed since then, but time has gone by quickly at the same time. What didn't change was my lack of success with the prize wheel, or the tastiness of the salmon.

Wild Waves

Summer Shootout

Today I went on an adventure of sorts with some friends. It was fun. Summer is slowly coming to an end. My feelings on this are mixed. Summer has been fun, but college is amazing. I can't wait to go back, but in the meantime, I will enjoy the rest of my summer with family and friends.

Late Start

Today I went to pickleball. It starts at 8:30am, but I rarely get there before 9:15am. But it goes until around 11:30am, so I still can get in a full two hours of pickleball.

Family Fun

Today all the cousins on my mom's side of the family were here for a family reunion of sorts. It was a lot of fun. We all went swimming and enjoyed using our new raft, the juggernaut. We ate an amazing lunch and the week in review dinner was excellent. Tonight is a movie night at our house.

Watts Up

Raft Craft

Today we finished building a raft that was started yesterday. Actually, collecting milk jugs to build it with, was started months ago. The raft used 128 milk jugs to provide the buoyancy. That is a lot of milk. The raft can hold up to 900 pounds. It was fun to build and is even more fun to use.

Ferry Fun

Cousin Fun

The past few days, it has been a lot of fun having our cousins here. We have had fun swimming, kayaking, eating, playing, and all sorts of other fun activities.

Potsticker Success

Today I helped to make some potstickers/dumplings. Actually, it was quite a few. After the food processor died, I helped chop some of the ingredients. Then a team of us helped to wrap them. It takes quite a bit of practice to wrap them correctly. Mine didn't look very nice, but I tried. They sure tasted good at dinner, especially after all the work that was put into making them by me and everyone else.

Sister's Seattle Celebration

Today was my sister's 18th birthday. Happy birthday Sarah. You are a great sister and I look forward to us both being at the same college starting in the fall. To celebrate her birthday, we all went to Seattle. It was a lot of fun.

Birthday Bash

Today we celebrated my sister and cousin's birthday. Neither was actually today, but the dinner celebration was. It was a great meal with an equally great dessert. It was fun to swim with the cousins earlier in the day, our dog even joined in on the fun.

Work Day

Today we had a work day out at my grandparents. They had a load of rock delivered and spread out on their driveway. A crew of us helped to even it out in parts. We also helped cut up some firewood. It was a workout cutting and hauling firewood. But it was neat to see everyone working together as a group getting a lot done and we were all treated to a nice meal.

Dog Days of Summer

Late last night/early this morning, I helped my father prime some walls at his school. It was a bit sad to prime a white wall white so it could be painted white especially so late at night, not to mention hard to tell what I had already primed. I usually walk the family dog at night, but was a bit too tired after priming. As if knowing I owed him, I went in to my room to go to bed and our dog, Red, was sprawled out on my bed with his head on my pillow. He took up almost all the bed and he wouldn't move.

Eating Fully

Today we had a nice meal with our cousins. Until very recently, I was a rather picky eater. There were a lot of foods I thought I didn't like, so I never ate them. Over the past year, I've become awakened to such foods as blueberries and pineapple. Man was I missing out. A year ago, I wouldn't have taken full advantage of the opportunities to be had at today's meal. But tonight I piled on the bean sprouts and cabbage, and lots of other great stuff and loved it fully.

Work Out

Today I cleaned our house. Our entire family was working to clean our house before our relatives arrive. The house is looking pretty good and it is nice to have our relatives here.

Friday

Today I went running. I also continued to clean my room. My relatives from California arrive tomorrow. I am excited for them to be here, it will be fun. For some reason, I thought it was Saturday all day long. I guess I will have two Saturdays in one week.

Piece of Cake

Today I baked a cake. I've always enjoyed eating cake, but never really knew the baking part of it could be so much fun too. It may have been the first cake I ever baked from scratch. It didn't look as pretty as I hoped, but it tasted wonderful. I baked it for a friend leaving for college. Good luck at college Eric, it won't necessarily be a piece of cake, but it will be sweet.

No Need to be Alarmed

I have yet to use an alarm clock this entire summer. I like to wake up when I wake up. This has worked out fine all summer until yesterday. I woke up a good hour after pickleball started. I really wanted to get there on time because someone I hadn't seen in almost a year was going to there. Thankfully, I still made it to pickeball. I should have learned my lesson from this and should start using an alarm, but I probably won't.

Painting Surprise

Today my mom and sister were at Western for freshman orientation. The past two days, while they have been gone, my dad and I have been remodeling my parent's bedroom. We repainted and moved stuff around. It was a lot of work, but it looks really nice. We were a bit rushed trying to finish before they got home. Thankfully, my sister was in on the surprise, so she was able to help stall a bit on the way home.

Running in the Rain

Today it rained. It was actually a bit refreshing to go running in the rain as opposed to the oppressive heat. I started to clean my room, but didn't make much progress. It seems like my room is always in need of cleaning. I don't understand or appreciate that fact.

Great Game

Today I went with my grandparents, father and sister to the Mariners game. We rode the ferry over. It was a nice trip. The Mariners won, which is always nice. Walking around the streets of Seattle after the game was interesting. We joined a mob getting free drinks, watched a street performer do some pretty amazing magic tricks, and were surrounded by chanting people playing drums. Overall, it was a really fun trip.

Not on a Roll

Today I went running. My ankle felt fine while running, but I tried to not twist or turn it at all because that would have hurt. These things take time to recover, but it is hard to give them that time.

Firewood and Friends

Today I helped cut some firewood. It was hard work, but it is nice to be able to help someone out. This afternoon, I hung out with some friends from college. It was a lot of fun. I miss my college friends and look forward to seeing them next year and hopefully making a lot more of them.

Mall Hop

Today I went to pickleball, although I probably should have given my ankle a day to recovery. In case you are wondering, I didn't face the man today. Not because of my ankle, although that would have been a great reason, but because he wasn't there today. This afternoon, I went to the mall with my sisters, mom and grandma. I normally don't like the mall very much, but it was fun to be with family.

Return and Relax

Today was my first day back home after house sitting. In fact, it was one of my only days home in the past month. I helped my father paint for a while but spent most of today relaxing.

Wake up Call

Today I went to pickleball. My ankle is a bit sore, so I didn't play too well. Partially because it hurts to move, but mainly because I was afraid of making it worse. The people we were house sitting for were supposed to get back home around 4:00pm. Things got a bit hectic when they called and said that got an earlier flight and would be home around 1:00pm. Thankfully, we were able to pack our stuff and clean up the house before they got back. It was nice staying at their nice house on the lake for a week and even nicer to get paid to do so.

Unweak Week

Today was our last full day house sitting. We had a friend over and had a good time hanging out before he goes to college. Not using sunscreen all summer finally caught up with me, but I have no real regrets just pain. My grandparents came over for a nice barbecue dinner with my family. Overall, it was a nice way to wrap up a great week of house sitting.

90 Degrees: Not Right for Running

Today I went running. I do this quite a bit, but it isn't normally over 90 degrees when I do so. It was very hot and I was very thirsty. It felt really good to be able to jump in the lake after my run.

Good Work Done

Today I went to a giant community work party that did various jobs around the school my dad works at. It was neat to see over 200 people joining together to work towards a common goal. I used a brush cutter machine that was quite a beast. It was a workout trying to control the machine, and I sort of think it was more in control than I was. But I was able to get the job done as were countless other people on countless other jobs.

Wake Boarding

Today was a great day out on the lake. My friend came over, and we went wake boarding. It was my first time doing any such water sport. It was a blast. At first, I had trouble. I couldn't get the board up out of the water. After several face plants, I finally got the hang of it. Being rather stubborn and extremely foolish, I wouldn't let go of the bar after I fell. The boat quickly solved that problem by yanking the bar rather forcefully out of my hands. That was a painful learning curve it took me a bit too long to figure out. Overall, it was a blast and I can't wait to try it again sometime.

Game On

Today was another hot day. I went to pickleball and was able to face the man again. The first two games were hard fought battles, with each of us winning one. In the third game, my play faded and he won. This afternoon it was fun to swim and kayak with the siblings.

Triple Digits

Today it was nice to be house sitting on a lake. It was over 100 degrees outside. I went jogging, and was able to hop in the lake afterwards to cool off. My family came over, and we all went swimming. Tonight my brother and sister are spending the night.

House Sitting Started

Today my sister and I started a house sitting job. It is a nice house on a lake, which is especially nice during this hot weather. We are also taking care of their two dogs, one of which is handicapped. It was definitely a first to hand feed a dog.

Back Home

Today was my first full day back home after being gone almost three weeks in Oregon. I had a lot of fun on my trip, but it is nice to be home. That feeling won't last for long though, as I am house sitting for a week starting tomorrow.

Cousins Camping

Lost Lake

Rowing a Boat

Break Time

Something is Rotten

Watch Your Every Move

Throw it Down

Sheep Meds

Feeding Chickens

Danny Made Dinner

Farm Cooking

Sandy Parade

Good Old Days

Napping?

Down the Lane

Spring into Action

Paddle On

Fun at the Lake

Hanging out at the lake recently.

Gone to Oregon

Today I left for my now annual trip to Oregon. I will be on a farm for the next couple days, and away from a computer. Like last year, hopefully my mother will post some pictures daily.

Returning a Favor

Today I returned the camera I bought. The memory card was not erased, so quite the surprise awaits the next person to own the camera or at least a store employee. I still haven't decided on its replacement.

Converse

Today I had an in depth conversation with a shoe salesman at a shoe store about my major and career goals. It was one of the longer conversations I've had with anyone about my life goals, especially considering I didn't even know the guy. He never even tried to sell me any shoes.

Not Picture Perfect

Today I bought a new camera. It is pretty nice, but I think I will take it back and get a different one. The one I bought is a bit too much camera for what I need, and isn't really worth the extra cost. It was fun shooting a movie with it today though.

Fourth Fun

Today was a fun fourth of July with my cousin Andy. We had a nice lunch out at the lake with my grandparents and great grandparents. We swam in the lake and even our dog did too. Tonight, we are watching a movie and plan to sleep out on the trampoline.

Fun in the Sun

Today my cousin rode the train up to Washington. It is fun to have him visit for a couple days. We went swimming and kayaking today. It was my first time this summer swimming in a lake and it was a blast. We also went to a relatives house for a 4th of July party. It was fun and there was lots of good food eaten and fun games played. I learned that firefighters can in fact put on a pretty nice firework show.

Nohawk

Today our family had our family portrait taken. The past few days, just for the fun of it, I've had a mohawk. I didn't really want to have a mohawk for the portrait, for that to be the way I would be remembered for years to come. I tried several ways to hide it, such as slicking it over to one side, parting it down the middle, or even thought of covering it with a wig. In the end, I decided the mohawk had to go.

was gone so I wasn't an unsmiling It was interesting having a mohawk, I got a lot more stares and comments than normal. A lot of people would stare at me like they expected me to do something crazy. It even seemed like some people were trying to run me over while I was jogging. Minus the mohawk, the portrait went well. The photographer had skill, although I was so busy trying to stay in the position he wanted me to that I forgot to smile. At least my hair looked normal so I wasn't an unsmiling mohawked rebel.

Burn

Today I went for a run. This time I was smart and stashed some water on my route. This afternoon, I reclined on our hammock in the sun for a while and wrote a poem. I got a bit sunburned, but not very badly.

Sun and Done

Today I went to pickleball. I played about three games of singles with a new guy, trying to pass on some tips and tricks I have learned over the years. This afternoon, I finally finished reading a book I started before I left for college. Afterwards, I took a nice nap in the sun on a hammock, it was quite nice and I can finally start reading a new book.

Shopping Trip

Today I went to Olympia with my family on a shopping trip. It was fun hanging out even if we didn't end up really buying anything. There are some things money can't buy such as good times with the family.

Picnic and Ping-Pong

Today my family went to a picnic at some family friend's house. There was lots of good food. Both my mother and my father worried me a bit during ping-pong matches, they have skill. We need to set up our ping-pong table.

Party

Today my sister had her graduation party, and man does she know how to throw a party. It was a nice party. I enjoyed my job of cutting up the watermelon, a bit too much as I ate quite a bit of it. I also had the job of frying the onion pancakes. Overall, it was a nice party with nice people. The food was good, too good.

Marathon Day

Today was a bit of a marathon. I ran 15 miles this morning. I passed some jelly beans someone left on the ground three different times. The first time, I was disgusted by the thought of eating them. By the third time, I was very tempted. I think it was due to a lack of water. Around mile 13, I ran into the local library, not for a book, but for some much needed water. This afternoon, our family was busy getting ready for my sister's graduation party. Quite a bit of work was done.

Sore Loser

Today I went to pickleball. "The Man" challenged me to a game of one on one. I was ready for a game, but what ensued was madness. I don't know how many games we ended up playing. I do know they were all hard fought battles, with every point hard to come by. I think he won three games and I won two.

After well over an hour of facing off, my legs were about ready to give out, but I still didn't want to give in. Rather fittingly, painfully and slowly, after losing the last game to "The Man", I had an hour walk home and it was raining. Thankfully, the rain stopped and I made it home eventually and that one lady didn't run me over, but not thanks to her actions but luck and my new found car avoidance capabilities. I can't wait for the next face off.

Airport Adventure

Today I drove to the airport to pick up my brother after his trip to California. The parking was a bit of an adventure, but eventually we were able to pick him up. It is nice to have the entire family together.

Reading and Writing

Strangely enough, I have been getting up earlier during the summer than I did while at college. It seems every morning, my internal alarm wakes me up at same time within five minutes. I have also been chipping away at finishing a book I started reading when I first went to college. Hopefully, I will finish it soon so I can move on to the next book. Today, I was inspired to start writing a book of my own, but I doubt it will ever be finished. Even if it never gets very far, it is fun to be writing.

Fence Finish

Today I went jogging. Yesterday I clocked a route I take at five miles, so it is nice to finally have a rough idea how far I go. I have a little over two weeks before I run a half marathon, so I need to keep logging the miles. This afternoon, my grandpa and I finished his fence. It looks good, and was a neat experience to build with and learn from my grandpa.

Dad Day

Today is Father's day. And while I don't need a special day to realize it, I have a great father. He is kind and caring. He is a hard worker, and an excellent example of someone who works hard to provide for his family. He is a great man, father, and friend who I look up to and a role model of how a father should be. Thanks for everything Dad.

Party Party

Today I went to two graduation parties. They were nice parties for nice people. Congratulations Eric and Lauree, good work thus far and have fun in college. It is time to start thinking about getting ready for my sister's graduation party in one week.

Nice Work Sister

Today my sister had her community college graduation. I am proud of her and her accomplishments. It seems weird to think of how I went through the same ceremony only one year ago. I can't wait for her to join me up at Western. Nice work Sarah.

Fresh Man

As 'promised', now that I have been home for a week, I will reflect upon my first year at college. I don't exactly remember what I thought when I first got to college. I believe I was both excited and overwhelmed. I missed my family, it took awhile to adjust to living away from my family at college in the dorms.

Slowly, I started to like college life more and more. I had a daily routine, and tried to stay busy. Classes went alright for the most part all year. I declared political science as my major and have enjoyed the political science classes I have taken thus far. Final and midterm weeks were crazy and stressful, but that is to be expected. Through diet and exercise, and lots of it, I was able to lose almost 50 pounds while at college.

The highlight of the year was getting to know some really cool people and making new friends especially through CCF (Campus Christian Fellowship). Unfortunately, I waited toward the end of the year to do this. Next year, that won't be the case. I feel like I changed a lot my first year at college, mostly for the better. In the end, I liked the college part of school better than the school part of college, but a balance between classes and recreation must be maintained.

I am happy for summer break. It is nice to be home with my family. I do miss college at times, mainly my friends from there. It is nice to enjoy both my time at home and at college. I can't wait for next year at college, especially with my sister joining me up at Western.

*pictured: my good friend Thomas from college

Hello Summer

Today I went on a jog in the morning. There was a drive-by water balloon incident, but the person needs to work on their aim.

This afternoon, a good friend of mine from college visited and my roommate and I showed him around the town. It was a great time.

This evening was the 11th annual 'Hello Summer' party for our neighborhood. I was in charge of the bubbles, but it was a bit too windy for much success. Overall, it was a great day filled with good times with good friend and good food.

In a Pickleball

Today I finally got to play pickleball. It had been quite some time since my last game, and at first it showed. Eventually, I got warmed up and played fairly well. "The man" wasn't there to challenge, but maybe next time. Tonight I went to a birthday party for my great grandma. It was a nice family gathering. Happy birthday great Grandma.

Fence Fun

Today I helped my grandpa work on building his fence. There is more left to do, but so far it looks nice and is well built. I went for a jog around town tonight. I'm excited to play pickleball for the first time in quite awhile tomorrow, but not quite as excited that it starts at 8:30am.

Different Days

I am still in the process of adjusting to being back home for the summer. I almost feel like I have jet lag and culture shock. Maybe that is just because I have never truly had either. It is not like I changed time zones or anything, but my sleeping habits have changed. It is weird to go to bed and wake up in an hour like I have just taken a nap. My family is great and I enjoy being with them. However, and hopefully understandably, I miss my college friends. It is just different being home, but not in a bad way. Even the food is different, much better, but not unlimited like at college. I am glad I can love my time at home and at college, it just takes time to adjust to the changes from one to the other.

Cleaning and Cluttering

Today I had to unpack all the stuff I brought home from college. While doing this, I was cleaning my room as well. I spent hours cleaning space in my room so I could unpack. It is still a work in progress, but at least my stuff isn't in the living room any more.

Sharing at Sharis

Today my sister had her high school graduation ceremony. I am proud of her, she worked hard to graduate from high school with her AA degree. It will be sweet to have her up at Western next year. The ceremony was nice, and it was even nicer to be in the audience. After taking pictures, we went to Sharis with our grandparents. Great times were had sharing food. Everybody had a little piece of what everybody else ordered. I don't think I've ever ordered an entire pie before.

Home

Today I came home from college. Thanks for the ride father. Packing was a bit crazy, I didn't know I had that much stuff at college. Some day soon I will post more about my first year at university, but need time to reflect and recoup.

No Final Day

Today was my last full day at college. I didn't have any finals to take, but turned one in. I tried to run a sub five minute mile, but didn't quite make it. I guess I will have to wait until next year to achieve that goal.

I also went down to the bay with some friends and played some volleyball. Tonight was the last day late night was open, and also the first time I went. Now, I need to go to bed and 'prepare' for my 8:00am racquetball final.

Finals Taken

Today I had my only in class final. It was at 8:00am, which wasn't fun after not being able to fall asleep last night. The final was a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be. I have no clue how we were supposed to know some of the stuff that was on it. Regardless, I didn't need to do exceptional on it to do well in the class.

I also finished my take home essay final today, and just need to turn it in when the professor gets back from Florida. Unsurprisingly, I passed my jogging "final" of a 12 minute jog. Now, I only have a racquetball "final" on Thursday before I am done for the summer.

Ready for This

Today was spent studying for tomorrow's final. I feel about as prepared as I can be for it, and am just ready to get it over with. After hours of studying, I admittedly went a bit overkill in the dining hall. Food is not the answer to problems, more of a cause of one.

Rough Drafting

Most of today was spent working on my take-home essay final. I was able to finish the rough draft. It isn't due until Thursday at 4:00pm, but the sooner I finish it the sooner I am done with the class. That being said, it is important that I do a good job on it, so it can't be rushed. Tonight, I went on a nice walk with my roommate down to the bay while the sun was setting. It was nice to take a break from working on/preparing for finals.

Summer Starting Stopped

Today it quickly sunk in how much work I have to do before this school year is over. It may feel like summer break started already, but it definitely hasn't. I need to continue to study for my final Tuesday and start my take home essay due Thursday that the teacher gave us today.

Finally Finals

Today I didn't have any classes. With my spare time, I went jogging. I also finally started studying for finals. It needed to be done.

Done and Run

Today was my last day of classes of the school year. It feels good to be done, but now I need to start thinking about finals. It might not having been the time I was shooting for, but I got a new personal record in the mile this afternoon. I also jogged down to the bay to witness a beautiful Bellingham sunset over the bay tonight.

Early in the Morning

Today I only had my 8:00am jogging class It would have been nice to skip it and sleep in, but I had to turn in my jogging journal. I am actually glad that I went, because I ended up running the fastest mile of my life. I wasn't planning on setting any records, or even trying to at such an hour. It just happened. Perhaps next time I want to run a fast mile I should wake up early and run on little sleep.

Great Day

Today started out with a great racquetball game. Thankfully, there were no face shots today, given or received. In my Western Europe class, we concluded our government coalition formation simulation. Even though my party was excluded from the eventual government, it was fun to watch the bargaining process. This afternoon, my bible study group had an end of the year picnic at a park. It was a great time, with a great group of guys with great food. It put the dining hall food to shame. Overall, today was great.

Run Man

Today I decided to go running. I plan to run a half marathon this summer, so I wanted to see how far I could go. I didn't really have set destination, distance or time in mind. I ended up running to a sewage lagoon, which was about a 15 mile round trip in two hours and 15 minutes. I was very thirsty, and near resorting to questionable measure to get some much needed water.

Racing and Running

Today I had the feeling I was being followed while I was trailing running through the forest. It was a weird feeling, but I don't think anything was there. It did help me to run faster though, quite a bit faster. Speaking of running, my jogging class is the only class I have tomorrow. Being at 8:00am on a Monday, I am really tempted to skip it. We shall see.

Up and Out

Today I finally finished my essay. It feels good to finally be done with it. Although, there is a chance I may rewrite it after I get my grade back. Hopefully, that won't be necessary.

Running Late Again

Today I went jogging before my class. I was running a bit late running, so I almost didn't make it to class on time. This was the last class meeting of the year, so I really didn't want to be late. Although we are done meeting, I still have quite a bit of work to do for that class.

Head Hit

Today I had my racquetball class. It was only fitting that I took a shot in the face considering I've done the same thing to other people twice. It didn't really hurt that bad. I have really enjoyed learning to play racquetball and hope to be able to play it more.

Roughing It

Today I made good progress on my essay. I finally finished my rough draft. After I finish this essay, I will only have two finals to think about for the rest of the quarter. However, they will require quite a bit of thinking.

Write or Wrong

Today I continued to work on my essay. After I finish this essay, I only have two finals left to worry about for the quarter. It is an interesting time to be writing an essay about North Korea. Perhaps I will have to change my essay a bit after recent events. Although it is an interesting time to be writing about North Korea, that doesn't mean my essay is interesting or any easier to write.

Book Breaking

Today was Memorial Day. I would like to thank all those that have or are fighting for our country and our freedom.

It was nice to have the day off of school. To be honest, summer break started a couple weeks ago for me mentally. When the sun came out, pressure to ignore schoolwork crept in. Thankfully, I have slowly chipped away at the remaining projects I have for the quarter. It is just way more fun to be outside enjoying the nice weather with friends. A balance between the two needs to be found.

Marathon Man

Today it was another glorious day outside. I played some soccer with some friends. Bellingham had a large festival thing today that I went to. It was to celebrate the end of the ski to sea marathon. Speaking of which, I plan to run a half marathon this summer.

Lost and Found

Today I decided to jog in unknown territory. Eventually, I was quite lost. I had no clue where I was or where I was going. Thankfully, I had an entire bay to use as a landmark to get back to a familiar area. I even made it back to campus in time for lunch.

Mystery Man

Today I was flagged down by a guy after I left my class. He knew my name and looked familiar, but I didn't know exactly who he was. He claimed I played a basketball game the other day with him and another guy. I have no memory at all about a basketball game. It was strange. He thought for sure I was the person. Perhaps I have a basketball playing clone on campus, or my future self traveled back in time to play basketball.

Ultimate Adventure

Today was another nice sunny day. With the weather being nice, I decided to throw together a "soccer and frisbee extraordinaire". It was fun. A group of five of us threw around a frisbee and kicked a soccer ball. Eventually, we were recruited to join a game of ultimate frisbee. It was my first time ever playing. The frisbee was thrown to me once, which I caught for a score.

Fun and Sun

Today was a nice sunny day. So nice, I walked down to the waterfront to work on homework. Once I got to the water, I didn't really feel like working on homework. I tried, but it was hard to in the wind. Thankfully, I didn't really need to work on homework today. Most of today was spent having fun and soaking in some sun.