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| I haven't posted a blog in a long time. But, really, I should. So,
since it's late and I'm too tired to play a whole game of football
(Madden consumes my life sometimes...), but not tired enough to go to
sleep...here it is.
Big news, but many of you already know this - my future has been
decided. I think many of you know that I have been planning on
continuing my education once I finish my masters degree. Naturally
this decision is not just up to me since the schools I apply to have to
actually accept me. Well, after my first adventure into the wonderful
world of applying to PhD programs (senior year in college, did not go
well, 13 applications, 13 rejections), this time went much better. I
got accepted into at least 2 programs (maybe more, but my mail is
fucked, more on this later), got an interview at West Virginia (bad,
bad place to live, but the interview was cool, and let's face it, what
OTHER reason could possibly draw me to West Virginia??!?). When it was
all said and done and the dust finally cleared, the end result is that
I will be spending the next four years of my life in East Lansing,
Michigan, at Michigan State University! Hopefully I will earn my
doctoral degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in sport psychology and
earn my second masters degree in counseling psychology.
So that's the big news.
All the minor stuff: I'm still in San Diego, almost done with my
masters degree in psych. I have been working fairly diligently on my
thesis and should have it completed by the end of May and defended by
the end of June at the latest. Additionally, still coaching swimming.
Much happier with that than with anything else really. I have really
done a lot to advance my swim coaching career, and have become a much
stronger coach over the last few months. I get to work with a great
colleague and have learned a lot from her. It will be very sad to
leave the kids when I move to Michigan. Um...still single. That
sucks. Nuff said.
So, onto the ranting portion of this post (hey, EVERY post needs a good
rant section): I hate the USPS. (United States Postal Service for you
morons out there). Back in December when I was going home for Xmas I
put my mail on hold since I live in an apartment and have a small mail
box. So, I tell them to hold my mail there (there's a little box you
can check for this option, and it's VERY clear, there are only two
options and the boxes are NOT close together) and that I would pick it
up upon my return. Well, I go in after getting back in January and
they tell me they don't have my
mail....................................supposedly it is supposed to
have been just put in my box by my delivery guy. So I think everything
must be ok. Then I start missing bills. And I get word from certain
institutions I applied to that they sent me stuff that got returned to
sender. Ugh, so bottom line is that to date I have been into the post
office 5 different times, spoken to 3 different supervisors, and have
found out that somehow their was an update in their system which said
that I had moved and left no forwarding address. The postmaster dude
has supposedly now put in two requests to have this corrected. To
date, I still am not getting all my bills properly, nor do I think I
will EVER find some of the mail that was supposedly sent to me during
that period. So, FUCK the USPS.
Whew. My wrist hurts, I just finished a 10 page paper that I had been
working on all evening. Now this...too much writing. I'm done.
Comments please.  | | |
| 10 Years Ago:
I
was 14. I had just started my freshman year in high school.
I was a skinny little scared kid who went from an 8th grade class of 19
kids where I thought I was so cool to one in a nameless, faceless
school of over 2000 students. I met one of the major crushes of
my life - Brooke Dayton, and struggled mightily through a year at
McClatchy High School. I played freshman football (believe it!)
and also swam. I was becoming quite a good swimmer finally, but
damn I was so oblivious to so many other things about life.
5 Years Ago:
I
was 19. My sophomore year in college was an interesting
one. I really hadn't found my niche yet, and was sort of
searching for my place. I became super over-involved in college
activities and was a student senator and an admissions intern - which
is how I met one of the most influential people in my young life - Sam
Kang. What a cool guy. As for girls, I was still sort of
finding myself in that regard also. I had had my heart broken my
freshman year and was still sorting out my life from that. I was
shy and un-confident around girls and though I had a few crushes (Elena
Forzani, for one) nothing really came of anything during this
time.
1-Year Ago:
I
had just moved down to San Diego and was starting my masters program
here at San Diego State. Actually I had just broken my wrist and
elbow playing basketball and had to learn how to take care of myself
one-handed (left handed, and I'm actually right handed). It was
sort of a rough transition period actually because I hadn't made any
friends down here yet and so was sort of struggling to figure out some
semblance of a life here.
Yesterday:
I
coached masters swimming in the morning, then headed off to school
where I had a sports psych class. I then had a coaches meeting
last night after which I came home and had to finish up some
reading...kinda boring, I realize.
5 snacks I enjoy:
Swedish Fish
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cheetos
Peanut Butter Toast
Gummy Bears/Gummy Worms
5 songs I know all the words to:
Whoomp! There It Is - Tag Team
Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice
Jump - Kriss Kross
Basket Case - Green Day
Almost - Bowling for Soup
5 things I would do with 100 million dollars:
Buy my dad his condo on a golf course
Go to Europe
Spend a ton on cool electronic gadgets (tv, computer, car, etc)
Take a vacation with all my best friends
Pay off student loans
5 things I would never wear:
Leather pants
Thong underwear
Spandex
Overalls
Plaid pants
5 bad habits:
Cracking my knuckles
Speeding
Talking over people
Swearing
Procrastinating
5 favourite toys:
Nintendo (the classic)
He-Man sword
Playstation 2 (this would be a current favorite)
Nerf guns (those cool ones they had that shot those little nerf darts)
GI-Joes - those were just fun
5 people to tag:
I'm not sure who will be reading this, but I guess
Matt
Courtney
Josh
I don't think anyone else will read it......
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| Alrighty, so, here's the update that was promised.
Last weekend I went home to Sacramento to watch my sister swim in what
was probably the last swim meet she will ever compete in. In
short, she was simply amazing. She put on one of the most
dominating performances I've ever seen in a pool. Every single
race she swam (prelims and finals and relays) was a league
record. She would break the record in the prelims, and then come
back and break her own new record in finals. Just wow.
Anyway, while I had a great time watching her and cheering for her, it
was also really fun for me because I got to talk to and see lots of
different families and swimmers from all the different teams that I've
coached. It was nice to actually be there as a complete outsider
- not tied specifically to any team. I also got to see some of
the people I used to swim with, whom I haven't seen in a long time -
Ross Boughton, Chris Hoover, and Sarah Rice. It was just really
great to see all of these people.
What I realized most of all, which is sort of the whole purpose and
point of this entry, is how nice it can be, and how greatly appreciated
all of my hard work was after all of these years. It's difficult
sometimes to really see how much certain people mean to you and what
role they can play in your life until they are no longer a part of your
life and you go back and visit them.
Anyway, enough being sappy and sentimental-ish. The summer is
fast ending, and that scares me quite a bit. I really just
completely checked out of school for the summer and so the prospect of
going back and having to get back into school mode is quite
daunting. I also start my GRE prep course next Sunday...that also
scares me. We'll see how that goes, I sure hope it's worth all
the money.
Finally, my birthday is also fast approaching (the 28th for those
keeping track). It looks like this will finally be a GOOD
birthday, after the last couple have been somewhat disappointing.
From what I can tell it looks like Susie and the gang from swimming are
planning birthday events for me, so that should be really fun. As
for the rest of you...I expect calls, and cards, and presents, so you
better start shopping now! 
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| A new entry is coming soon. I've just been busy with lots of
swimming stuff and actually having a life (finally) since moving down
to San Diego. Stay tuned...
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| So, there was actually quite a bit I wanted to write here. But
I'm not going to write that much. Just that it's funny how
whenever I am driving late at night - I tend to really listen to the
music that I have playing, I mean REALLY listen to what the lyrics are
saying, and then I also sort of just let my mind go and it really
starts to spin out of control, just allowing free flowing thoughts to
run into and out of my head. During these times I think I
actually end up creating some of the best poetry I could ever
create...but alas, since I am in the car and driving, I can't exactly
write it down, and then when I finally get to a place where I COULD
write it down, it's already gone out of my head...or at least I can't
remember it exactly the way it was when I first thought of it, and
usually what was inspiring me at the time is also gone...kinda
sad. Anyway, I'll just leave this post by putting some song
lyrics up here to a song that I like and have been listening to lately,
enjoy.
"On My Own"
See all those people on the ground
Wasting time
I try to hold it all inside
But just for tonight
The top of the world
Sitting here wishing
The things I've become
That something is missing
Maybe I...
But what do I know
And now it seems that I have found
Nothing at all
I want to hear your voice out loud
Slow it down, slow it down
Without it all
I'm choking on nothing
It's clear in my head
And I'm screaming for something
Knowing nothing is better than knowing at all
On my own [x6]
Without it all
I'm choking on nothing
It's clear in my head
And I'm screaming for something
Knowing nothing is better than knowing at all
On my own [x4]
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