What a Weekend

Well, long time since I have done a recap, and since some interesting things happened, I felt the need to share them...

Friday night started with a party. And you know how we do it here in Maryland. Old Bay Style. (Although not all crab seasoning is Old Bay, I have declared it the "generic name-brand" for Crab Seasonings. If Kleenex can be a synonym for tissue, Old Bay can be a synonym for crab seasoning. I don't care. I declared it.)

It was a party for my cousin. He had turned 20 and my grandmother had the grandkids (those not in SC) over for crabs. However my younger cousin (his brother) felt it more important to meet someone else to work on his car instead of crabs and ice cream cake. I think he's adopted. I really do. But, that meant more for me. So I enjoyed it. Very much so.

Afterwards I headed to Annville. Dropped my car off and me and Chelsea headed up 322 to their cabin for the weekend. We got there at 1, everyone else was asleep - or so we thought. As we stumble around in the dark trying to make as little noise as possible there are 5 others upstairs trying not to laugh.

Sleepytime later, wake up to the sound of rain outside. (Actually I awoke to someone tickling my feet, but it was still raining outside.) After spending some time in town at the craft fair (in the rain) we came back to the cabin, Chelsea, her sister, her cousin, her sister's boyfriend and myself. While the other 3 were inside watching a movie I was outside with Chelsea trying to start a fire in the rain. Which I got going on the first try thank you very much.

Hours later, after the sun had come out and the rain stopped, we took a walk down (very far down. Very slippery and far down) to the Juniata River. I think I should try and break the World Record for rock skipping across a body of water. Or something like that.

After bombarding some passing sticks (I hit every one and broke all but 1) we took a walk up to the railroad bridge over the river. (What sign? I didn't see the sign warning of the dangers of passing trains and not being allowed on the bridge.) Two passing trains later, we left for the long walk back up (very high up, not so slippery) to the cabin.

Dinner and s'mores. (And a very exciting game of 500 Rummy, but we won't get into that. All I can say is I'm missing a pair of shorts. But I will get mine back. Because my girlfriend isn't crazy. Well, maybe just a little. But she isn't a crazy-bitch like someone I don't really know but like to make fun of for being a crazy-bitch.)

Yadda, yadda, yadda - breakfast time. Then lunch. And some card games. And then Chelsea and I left to go back to her house - and me back to Maryland. (Sorry to all that live in Annville that I should have visited while near there, but we didn't get back to her house until 11 and I didn't think you would want to be wakened. There will be other times, I promise.)

Left her house at 1, an uneventful car ride later I was back in my closet they call a room. However, this time I was armed with a newspaper with ads for apartments for rent in the LVC area. This is a comforting thought, actually.

Awoke Monday and realized there was party that was happening later that day. Did not know that. Thought it was supposed to be Saturday. Oops. No matter, I still won the MABBA trophy. For those of you who don't know (cause I didn't), MABBA stands for Mid-Atlantic Bocce Ball Association. I won the tournament and claimed the title and the trophy on my second time playing Bocce Ball, pretty good if I do say so myself. Now, I must defend my title within a year. Labor Day party anybody?

After the majority of the party left, we all sat down for some card games. Texas Hold 'Em, 5 card stud, guts, nightball, 7-27, and pass the trash. Not the normal Vegas selection. But no matter. After was all said and done I had a stack of chips worth $23.55 in my hands. Meaning a net profit of $13.55. And some people wonder how I have money when I don't work. This would be part of it. Albeit a very, very small part of it.

But as soon as I get an apartment/house in Annville I will start looking for a job. Speaking of which, anyone looking for a roomate? Or an employee?

My Birthday is Coming Up....

.... in nine a few months.

However, I do like the look of this 'classic' shirt and would love anyone who felt the need to purchase it for me. I think I would look good in it. And you want me to look good don't you?

A large would probably do, but you know me, I'm skinny, so I could probably fit into a medium.

Just a thought....

Go with the 'Heiney'

Just a little request for all you planning a party out there in summer land. When you go to purchase the alcohol, make the right choice, go with a Heineken.

Why, you ask? Simple, support American jobs. Sure, Heineken is brewed in Europe, in fact, it's the largest brewery across the Pond. However, in order to get the brew off the ships and into American stores, they utilize the great Port of Baltimore.

So do Baltimore, Maryland, and America a favor, keeping drinking the Heiney, for the more you drink, the more they make. And the more they make, the more has to be shipped, and that means continual jobs for those great blue collar workers.

So when you toast the summer, toast with a Heineken.

Oh, sure, you could go the easier way and just purchase some Yuengling which is brewed in good ol' Pottsville, PA and make sure the money goes to an American company, but what about the Port of Baltimore? That's American - and it's older than 'America's Oldest Brewery'.

Or buy both, make everyone happy. Just don't buy French beer, that's called 'Wine'.

Take That, Exxon.

I just passed an Exxon on the way to take my dad to his new car, and, astonishingly, gas there was $1.96 per gallon. Holy Crap! I thought, I might have to purchase gas on the way back from there, less than $2, at an Exxon!

However, my return trip saw me stop one rural block (can I trademark that term?) over at the Texaco where gas was $1.95 a gallon.

Sorry Exxon, you may be cheaper than what I paid in Annville, but you're still expensive.

And best part, my dad filled my tank for me because I took him to Laurel to get his car. Who cares if I drove from Westminster to Annville and back (plus a little more) on this tank, he still topped it off.

Has It Really Been Only Two Days?

Alright, it's two days into Summer Break and I already don't know what to do. I just spent the last two days (Saturday and Sunday) being extremely bored. I think that means I should get a job. OR build a log cabin. I personally like the latter instead of the former.

But seriously, I'm sitting here, in the closet my dad refers to as a room, and I don't know what to do. I got everything packed and in the car and was in the driveway in Maryland at 11:30 p.m. Obligatory phone call later, I had no idea what to do. Everyone was already asleep, but I had to get some of my bags in. So, saying ''Hell to those I wake,' I went into the house with some bags, and left others for later, although I should have been louder to wake my step-mom my dad's wife. But that wouldn't have been nice, and I should try and be a nice person, I mean he tried so hard to shove her down our throats and make us kids like her.

But Saturday rolled around and I awoke sometime late in the morning. The thing about natural light, well it wakes me in the morning. When I'm shoved in a closet with no windows, in a corner of the basement where the term 'glass' refers to the shards I find in my feet, I can't wake up early. And if I have to hear my dad and his wife say 'good morning' sarcastically to me every weekend, I think I might just have to yell at them. A lot.

Saturday was a blur, and not a good blur either. It wasn't one of those Craig Brown drunken blurs where I see him twice in 5 minutes and he doesn't remember ever talking to me. In fact, I think he forgot I was in the room as soon as he left. But no, my blur wasn't like that, it was a 'bored out of my skull I think I'm going to cut off one of my fingers in order to make something interesting happen around here' blur. Not a fun blur to be in.

At some point I went to sleep, and at some point I woke up. Sunday, also boring. Bored to tears. In fact, I was so bored that I washed, waxed, and vacuumed my car. Then I washed the windows, inside and out. Then I Rainx'ed them. In fact, I might have made seat covers from the leftover fleece, but that would involve talking to her. And I wouldn't have wanted to do that.

So instead I left the car in the garage and walked over to the house where I decided to write something. Like this.

Right now Annville is looking real good. I think I might look for an apartment/house for rent up there for the summer, and then become a commuter. It would cut down on commute to Chelsea's by almost 90%. Might have to look into that.

But who knows, maybe I'll just cut off my finger instead.

Season, El Fine

I have been told not to say anything when you're upset, or when you're angry, or when you're frustrated. But really, what else can I do now? I'm back, alone, and have time to write. So by golly I'm going to write.

This Friday was MAC's, the Middle Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. I was set to begin the triple jump at 2:30 in the afternoon on Friday.
(For those of you not familier with Triple Jump, I'm sorry to hear that. You won't get a description out of me. All I can tell you is it involves two consecutive jumps on my left leg, followed by one jump from my right into a sand pit.) Sure, I was nervous about going in, but being ranked 14th out of 14 competitors (that made it to MAC's) gave me nothing to lose. The only way to actually do worse than predicted would be to scratch all 3 jumps and 'No Distance'.

And after my first two jumps that looked like a very real possibility. Although I may have been close to the the pit on the first jump, I did not like where it was headed and pulled up. For one it didn't look like the pit was very close, and my left leg felt like jello; it was not responsive.

Probably stemming from the injury I suffered last week at the Misericordia meet. As in order to get a good distance in the Triple Jump, one needs to have responsive and spring like legs. However, if a leg hurts and one cannot land of push off very well, then it's lights out and go home.

After some stretching and Icy-Hot wannabe type stuff, my leg felt better and a little more 'there,' however I still didn't feel good, like I had when I jumped 41' for the first time. But I still had 2 more jumps to find 'it,' whatever it is, and get closer to the qualifying mark of 41' to make it seem as if I belonged at the meet.

However, I still looked like a fish out of water as I barely didn't make it to the pit on my second jump and had to take a scratch. Again leg problems which caused me to be more frustrated. Although coach tried to give me words of encouragment about how we both knew what I could do, I didn't need this meet to tell me how good I was, I still wanted to go to ECAC's in Mass. But the plan for the third jump was to get to the pit, not ECAC's.

So putting it all on the line, screw injury, I prepped for my third jump. Making the pit by 1 foot 9 inches, I actually was able to land and make a distance. Granted it was 38 feet, something I haven't jumped in weeks, at least it was something.

And that's what I did. I grabbed some ice, walked across the field, and headed back to school with Chelsea. Left to think about the chances missed and injuries acquired.

What a way to end the season.

Just Like Clockwork

Just like clockwork, as the phone rings when dinner is served, as you find the lost item just as you bought a new one, as your psycho ex-girlfriend 'lost' your pants just as you show up to get them back, I am swamped with work at the end of the semester.

Most of it is my fault, in that I probably could have done some of this work before, although some I only had two days to do, and some is the schools fault, as they 'forgot' to give the students an extra reading day. And it wouldn't be too bad if I wasn't going to MACs this weekend, but I am, and it gives me one less day to do work. And it just so happens that day is when a lot of work is due that I could do.

However I will work through this. Some of my professors have allowed me an extension on some of my work, others have told me to turn my work in early. So instead of working I decided to write this, as this is more exciting and more gratifying.

But as soon as Monday is over, I'm pretty much set for the rest of the week. And that is a great feeling.