Saturday, July 31, 2004
A lot has happened in A MONTH
So sorry to all you loyal readers that check my blog on a daily basis hoping I'd write something thought provoking... for future reference you've probably come to the wrong place because 1) I don't update this thing NEARLY as much as I should/could (it has been pointed out to me that it has been over a month now), and 2) me? thought provoking? Right....
So although it has been over a month... I really haven't been doing all that much. I've only had 4 days off since Father's Day, which isn't a whole lot. Because of that, I turned into an old man (going to bed before midnight) for a while there. Don't worry though, the past few days I've been getting back into my old habits by talking to new friends online (I even stayed up until 3:30 the other night, which wasn't such a great idea since I had to wake up at 7). Anywho... work is just about over for the summer (which is fitting since summer is almost over as well)... only 7 more days left. I "quit" McDonald's on Wednesday after one last GSF (truck), so my weekends are free now (the whole two I have left, and one's half taken up already). I really can't wait to get my last paychecks and be done for a little while, because I've been doing so many BS jobs for my construction job lately. Touching up paint on a house that's being finished is incredibly boring, and that's pretty much all I did for two days straight.
Lets see... what else is there... This is quite random but I've been ticked off at my sister (who is 16 months older than me) for quite some time now. It really started because of financial aid. See... she decided back around February that she was going to move to Minnesota with her boyfriend Kevin (who happens to be deaf, yes she knows how to sign, and they started dating in Jan. 03 and have been living together for a while now) to enroll his 7-year old daughter Sunshine in a top-notch deaf school (Kevin's 30, by the way). So, she decided she was going to take Spring quarter off from school, and because they were going to move in August, she wasn't going to go to school at all next year until she established residency. This means we had to change the part on MY FAFSA regarding the number of children attending college from 2 to 1. Well... when WSU's Financial Aid office got the updated FAFSA report back, they decided to change my financial aid in the sum of taking away $1000 in work study for each semester and around $1600 in grants. With that and my scholarship money, I could've paid for about $9000 of the $11000 or so I'll be paying this year on my own. Instead, they raised my parents' expected contribution a couple thousand dollars and replaced the aforementioned money with loans. So yeah... not too happy with her.
It gets better. Around the beginning of July, it was becoming more apparent that they weren't going to move. On top of that, my sister began talking to her ex-boyfriend from high school again (neither one of them knew why they broke up... smells like unresolved emotions to me) and a rumor circulated that she was going to break up with Kevin. After Ash's car required a new $600 radiator, they decided for good that they weren't moving to Minnesota. Instead, they would move to Edmonds, which has a better deaf school than the Seattle SD. Well... they did indeed break up and last week, my sister's car was totaled in an accident. Soo... that left them broken up, not moving, and without a car. Well, my sister wanted to change one of those... so she bought a 99 Honda Civic for $10K yesterday and was proudly showing it off to me last night (for those of you that don't know, my car is a 91 Honda Civic which gets me from A to B, so that kinda feels like a slap in the face, saying "look at my newer car", but I'll get over it). And apparently, she's moving back in with my mom now too.
So thinking about all this, I realized just how important goals are in life to me. I'm sure my sister has them, but it really seems like she either loses sight of them often, or just isn't entirely sure what she wants to do in life. In all honesty, I don't want to do that.
I know that I want to graduate from WSU, I want to find the girl of my dreams and marry her (after I graduate) and start a family, I want to have a career in law enforcement (specifically, investigative work) so I can bring closure to victims and their families and friends (and to keep the rest of us safe), I want to take my kids to their baseball games or soccer matches, and most importantly, I just want to be happy knowing that I lived my life with no regrets. While that list isn't exactly what one would call extreme, it is almost a guarantee that there will be variables that will, in one way or another, sidetrack me from my goals. I can only hope that I remember to see the big picture.
While writing this, I've realized that a majority of the people that I'm closest to right now, I haven't even known for SIX months. I don't know exactly what to make of that, but it's kinda crazy to think about. I have met and gotten to know some awesome people this summer (and spring) that I truly hope to keep in touch with for the rest of my life. Although I haven't done much besides work, I'd have to say that this is the "Best Summer Ever" (thank you, CMT) because I don't think I could be happier with who I've become and who I've surrounded myself with.
I also realized that life itself isn't guaranteed and therefore shouldn't be taken for granted, and I should know that more than most people after how lucky I was with my 3-wheeler accident. Because of this, I want to spend more time with those I care about, so if a day comes where I find myself without them (which I hope it doesn't), I can look back and cherish the times we had together.
Also, with Peter's recent talk about love, I've been meaning to find out how many of you think there's a difference between loving and being in love with someone. I personally think there is, but I haven't been in love so it's hard to know.
Well, that's about it for now but I'm pretty sure there will be more soon. I've been sharing deep conversations lately, which usually gets the brain juices flowing.
Ryan and Peter: I will try my hardest to update more often for you, especially since we don't get the chance to hang out much and you're one of the big reasons I started this thing in the first place.
Until next time...
So although it has been over a month... I really haven't been doing all that much. I've only had 4 days off since Father's Day, which isn't a whole lot. Because of that, I turned into an old man (going to bed before midnight) for a while there. Don't worry though, the past few days I've been getting back into my old habits by talking to new friends online (I even stayed up until 3:30 the other night, which wasn't such a great idea since I had to wake up at 7). Anywho... work is just about over for the summer (which is fitting since summer is almost over as well)... only 7 more days left. I "quit" McDonald's on Wednesday after one last GSF (truck), so my weekends are free now (the whole two I have left, and one's half taken up already). I really can't wait to get my last paychecks and be done for a little while, because I've been doing so many BS jobs for my construction job lately. Touching up paint on a house that's being finished is incredibly boring, and that's pretty much all I did for two days straight.
Lets see... what else is there... This is quite random but I've been ticked off at my sister (who is 16 months older than me) for quite some time now. It really started because of financial aid. See... she decided back around February that she was going to move to Minnesota with her boyfriend Kevin (who happens to be deaf, yes she knows how to sign, and they started dating in Jan. 03 and have been living together for a while now) to enroll his 7-year old daughter Sunshine in a top-notch deaf school (Kevin's 30, by the way). So, she decided she was going to take Spring quarter off from school, and because they were going to move in August, she wasn't going to go to school at all next year until she established residency. This means we had to change the part on MY FAFSA regarding the number of children attending college from 2 to 1. Well... when WSU's Financial Aid office got the updated FAFSA report back, they decided to change my financial aid in the sum of taking away $1000 in work study for each semester and around $1600 in grants. With that and my scholarship money, I could've paid for about $9000 of the $11000 or so I'll be paying this year on my own. Instead, they raised my parents' expected contribution a couple thousand dollars and replaced the aforementioned money with loans. So yeah... not too happy with her.
It gets better. Around the beginning of July, it was becoming more apparent that they weren't going to move. On top of that, my sister began talking to her ex-boyfriend from high school again (neither one of them knew why they broke up... smells like unresolved emotions to me) and a rumor circulated that she was going to break up with Kevin. After Ash's car required a new $600 radiator, they decided for good that they weren't moving to Minnesota. Instead, they would move to Edmonds, which has a better deaf school than the Seattle SD. Well... they did indeed break up and last week, my sister's car was totaled in an accident. Soo... that left them broken up, not moving, and without a car. Well, my sister wanted to change one of those... so she bought a 99 Honda Civic for $10K yesterday and was proudly showing it off to me last night (for those of you that don't know, my car is a 91 Honda Civic which gets me from A to B, so that kinda feels like a slap in the face, saying "look at my newer car", but I'll get over it). And apparently, she's moving back in with my mom now too.
So thinking about all this, I realized just how important goals are in life to me. I'm sure my sister has them, but it really seems like she either loses sight of them often, or just isn't entirely sure what she wants to do in life. In all honesty, I don't want to do that.
I know that I want to graduate from WSU, I want to find the girl of my dreams and marry her (after I graduate) and start a family, I want to have a career in law enforcement (specifically, investigative work) so I can bring closure to victims and their families and friends (and to keep the rest of us safe), I want to take my kids to their baseball games or soccer matches, and most importantly, I just want to be happy knowing that I lived my life with no regrets. While that list isn't exactly what one would call extreme, it is almost a guarantee that there will be variables that will, in one way or another, sidetrack me from my goals. I can only hope that I remember to see the big picture.
While writing this, I've realized that a majority of the people that I'm closest to right now, I haven't even known for SIX months. I don't know exactly what to make of that, but it's kinda crazy to think about. I have met and gotten to know some awesome people this summer (and spring) that I truly hope to keep in touch with for the rest of my life. Although I haven't done much besides work, I'd have to say that this is the "Best Summer Ever" (thank you, CMT) because I don't think I could be happier with who I've become and who I've surrounded myself with.
I also realized that life itself isn't guaranteed and therefore shouldn't be taken for granted, and I should know that more than most people after how lucky I was with my 3-wheeler accident. Because of this, I want to spend more time with those I care about, so if a day comes where I find myself without them (which I hope it doesn't), I can look back and cherish the times we had together.
Also, with Peter's recent talk about love, I've been meaning to find out how many of you think there's a difference between loving and being in love with someone. I personally think there is, but I haven't been in love so it's hard to know.
Well, that's about it for now but I'm pretty sure there will be more soon. I've been sharing deep conversations lately, which usually gets the brain juices flowing.
Ryan and Peter: I will try my hardest to update more often for you, especially since we don't get the chance to hang out much and you're one of the big reasons I started this thing in the first place.
Until next time...
