Finding the reasons

I just finished reading through nearly all of my blog posts. Six years worth of posts takes about five hours to read. I realized last night that my writing has, of late, taken a plunge for the worse - both in quantity and quality. I was looking for clues as to the paradigms shifts within my blogging. The first came nearly five years ago when I moved from Trinity to Des Moines and made my writing, in my opinion, quite good. The second happened not too long ago. As I said, this second shift has made things worse. I think that the shift has not yet set in permanently, so I can change it. I won't note what has caused the shift, but I know what it is and I'm not entirely proud of it.

I think that my life might have been more exciting in the golden years of bloggage, and I was glad to write about that excitement. A lot of it had to do with the ambiguity of my life. Maybe that means that my life is currently boring and maybe that's because I have a three-year plan. I can admit to be boring, and there is a desire to change that. I'm working on it.

Many of my posts had a common topic - current infatuations and females in general. I'm far less prone to write out my thoughts on females anymore, that's probably for the best. Though it could make my posts more entertaining.

While reading through those golden years I noticed how many of the comments still made me smile. A large number of comments come from the following people: Jorb, Jess, Kate G., Bradley, Danijo and Stefiny. Most of Brad's comments end with him proposing that we make out. Most of Josh's comments make no sense whatsoever. They're all beautiful.

I hope that in six years I am reading this post and thinking to myself, "You were right to change things up, it definitely shows in your writing. And your hot wife." you have my love.

Survival of the weary

It's been a tough few weeks. But I made it. I kept my eyes on Thanksgiving break [we get all of next week off] and pushed through one last week of exams, a paper and several quizzes. Last night I stayed up 'til two in the morning finishing out my biomechanics paper. It took me a half hour to finish the last three sentences. I'm not one to sacrifice sleep for homework, but it had to be done. While this week I suffered through academic persecution, last week my family and I suffered the loss of my grandma. I'll write more about her someday soon hopefully, but for now: she was my last living grandparent, she would have been eighty years old on Christmas Day and she hated cold weather. She passed from complications of diabetes and heart disease.

So, it's been a tough few weeks. Honestly, I'm looking forward to just working next week and doing minimal amounts of homework. Also on tap: running seven muddy miles with seventy-five hundred people tomorrow morning, a CG Thanksgiving potluck tomorrow night, hanging out with some folks back on holidays, a Thanksgiving potluck at work, some warehouse duty, a Thanksgiving meal with my parents, looking into some possible internship sites. Well, maybe I've put too much on the schedule for my week off. After a week of pseudoresting I have a week of class, a "dead" week and finals week. Hopefully this week off will allow me the strength to make it through the next three. And then more pseudoresting.

To end on some upbeat news: I turn 10,000 days old in just eighteen more days. If you're in Ames on December tenth, let's get over to 212 and celebrate. And also, thanks for those of you who have been supportive this semester and these past few weeks. I really do appreciate it. you have my love.

Comment (If All Men Are Truly Brothers)

I voted. And now I'm reading blogs and listening to The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. I thought I would post lyrics to this song, the song that I was listening to in the car before and after I voted. Available on Wilco's Kicking Television: Live in Chicago (written by Charles Wright). you have my love.

Watch out for your friends
Well, they may lose in the end
Sometimes they try to make you sin
But what is a man without a friend?

We all live within a game
The word excuse has many names
Where true friends really come
You can't afford to lose one

If all men were truly brothers
Why then, do we hurt one another?
Love and peace from ocean to ocean
Somebody please, second my emotion

All men were born to be free, yeah
What about you? And what about me?
This world is filled with hate, there's nothing left
If you enslave me, you'll never rescue yourself

Well, jealousy as I recall
Has always been man's hardest fall
To conquer fear, that's quite a quest
Until we do never rest

A child was born yesterday
Nothing but an innocent babe
Someone sowed a bitter seed
How could he grow but a bitter weed?

Society, how can you teach (I wanna know)
If you dont practice what you preach?
(That's right)

If all me where truly brothers
Why then, can't we love one another?
Love and peace from ocean to ocean
Somebody please, second my emotion

All men were born to be free
What about you? And what about me?
This world is filled with hate, there's nothing left
If you enslave me, you'll only hurt yourself

Hey you, over there, I want to know why you left
With all your riches and your fancy things,
Can you tell me how many friends
Can you truly say you have?