I wanted to see if this would work here. I may try to incorporate it into my layout at some point if I can find a non-offensive way to do so:

When I graduate in December, what will I have to show for the last few years of my life? Sometimes I wonder if I would do things differently. The last year seems so incredibly different from the first three, for obvious reasons. Maybe, at some point, I will come to grips with how much the things in my past actually do affect the way I live and think. Anyway, lots of thoughts, but they've translated into very few words for some reason. Maybe that's because its 2:00 am.

Listen to some music with me, dear children:

Iron & Wine - Sea and the Rhythm
Derek Webb - Wedding Dress
Kanye West - Stronger
Sufjan Stevens - Size Too Small

This is a little late, but absolutely had to be chronicled.

A week or two ago, I went to Holiday World with the family for my step-dad's company picnic. Kimble (the company) apparently rented the whole park out for our enjoyment. Tons of people, considering it was just one company.

Anyway, while the rides and the water park and the free food were all fantastic, the best part of day had to be the game Michael and I came up with to keep ourselves occupied. I noticed that a large portion of the population was wearing some sort of Earnhardt gear. Some were supporting Junior with their #8 attire. Others were obviously honoring the legacy of the Intimidator with their #3 gear (rest in peace). We decided to keep count of how many we saw, much like with our mullet hunts over the years.

I pulled out my camera and talked my brothers into going to pose with these various heroes.
This gem was the first picture taken. Notice the amazing Earnhardt Jr. jersey with signature #8 on the back. Perfect.













I was really surprised by how close we could get to some of these people without them noticing. Easton was pretty excited about getting in there with this guy in the picture on the right.
This center one was a little bit further away so you have too look really close. Then gentleman with the yellow sleeveless shirt was proudly wearing an Earnhardt Sr. hat.

Overall it was a success. We managed to spot around 20 or so combined sightings for #3 and #8.

While Michael and I were eating some absolutely fantastic ice cream though, my mom came through in a pinch. She was quick to pull out her camera and snag a shot of yet another good supporter.

Thanks Mom.

Short and sweet for now. Sorry loyal fan base.

So if ever any doubt existed as to a few key things, I've been solidified today:

1. I am a procrastinator.

Heaps of Strategic Management [sarcasm](interesting stuff, let me tell you)[/sarcasm] due tomorrow afternoon. Three solid, whole, healthy hours between work and my research group meeting and what do I do? Oh, just about the best thing in the world...take a nap.

Also keep in mind that I am currently writing this while I should be doing said Management work.

2. I am ready to be finished with school.

See above.

3. I am lazy.

Throughout the course of the day, I strongly considered not going to my research group, not going running and even not starting on my homework until later. All because I didn't really 'feel like it.' Bleh.

I also bit my tongue twice tonight while chewing some gum. Hurts quite a bit. Yeah, I'm a baby, so what :) Who's got two thumbs and is a lost cause? This guy. (High five to anyone that gets that reference.)

As I watched my Chiefs lose in a bittersweet ending to an otherwise fantastic football weekend, I saw a commercial announcing that the show Heroes would be returning in a week or so.

During the show's initial run of season one, I balked at the idea of watching it--it was on during a time slot very firmly held by 24, my original television love. My first thought was blatant X-Men ripoff. Well, I finally ended up watching the first season in 2-3 sittings when Drew bought the DVD. It was actually quite enjoyable and managed to stay interesting up until the last episode.

Anyway, seeing the commercial took me back to one of my daydreams I had while watching the show. Every little kid has pondered this question a million times, often with varying results.

What superhero power do you wish you had?

What a great question. It is fun to think about, for one thing, but also really interesting to consider why we would choose a certain super power.

The obvious super power to choose from Heroes would be that of Peter Petrelli. His powers allow him to take on the powers of any other 'hero' he comes in contact with. He's a walking sponge of awesomeness, pretty much. It's like asking the genie who gives you three wishes to give you more wishes. Can't blame me here.

After that one, the decision becomes a bit more difficult.

You have Matt Parkman with the interesting ability to read minds. That would be extremely convenient in a number of selfish ways. You could always know what people think about you, you could always be prepared and have the right thing to say. Think Mel Gibson in What Women Want, haha. You would probably be the world's best poker player. Could be a great police interrogator (like Parkman's character on the show) or as a football coach, you could always know what play the other team would call (although Bill Belichick didn't need superpowers to manage this one.) You could do a lot of good with this one, but most of the examples I gave show how mind reading would really just be cheating at life :D

Another interesting ability I could take on would be that of young Claire. Her rapid cell regeneration, or super-fast-ridiculous-healing for the uninformed, would offer some potentially interesting adventures. On top of not really ever getting sick and a nice lack of the bad parts of aging, I could begin a career as the world's greatest stuntman.

I'm not trying to advertise the show or anything. I like it and all, but it's far from something I'm fanatical about. I just think it is interesting that we so often wish we had the ability to be more than what we are. We're not content with being the person that we were made to be, so we fantasize about fiction. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with getting wrapped up in a good story. Sometimes, though, handling awkward situations with ease can be a good enough super power. Or having enough courage to be vulnerable.

Have a good day/night, whenever this finds you.

You can click on the little 'Pull Me' deal on the right side of the screen. Neat stuff.

Also, please feel free to comment on my posts or whatever. Even if its just to say hi. I'm not sure who all does the blog thing so I would love to link to you or at least read when I get the chance. Thanks :D

I think I'm finally getting into a rhythm this semester. In the past 48 hours, I have accomplished many things great and small...well...not sure how great, but we'll see.

Yesterday at 7:30 am, I participated in a 5k race at Covington Woods Park. No, I didn't stutter. I did, in fact, say a 5k race. As out of character as it may seem, I have taken up running fairly consistently in the past 2-3 months. 5k = 3.1 miles, which is a little less than the Morgantown Rd/WKU loop that Jacob and I have been running.

While I finished 87th with a time of 24:57 (breaking 25 mins was my goal), which was well behind the winning time of 17ish mins, I was a champ when it came to door prizes.

If you take a look at the picture, you'll notice two things. One, I'm kissing a medal (oh, the sweet triumph!) that belongs to Adam Jochim. Adam finished 2nd in our age group, but left before the awards so I took the photo op before returning it to him. The second thing you may notice is that I'm holding a red bag. That would be the 'Daily News' folding chair that I received as my door prize. That, combined with a cool t-shirt (actually, it was pretty ugly) made for a good start to the morning.

Monday evening, I got my schedule worked out for work that was mixed up from adding my Entrepreneurship class. Productivity 2, laziness 0. Met with my Market Research group and go figure, I'm the one there that's actually organized.

Enter Tuesday morning. Up for 8:20 class, take all my notes, pay attention, come home and actually finish my homework before doing anything else (scary, i know). You would think I had been doing this college thing for like 4 years or something...crazy!

Fixed up the blog a bit in time for this, the second official post (I attempted a mobile post from the County Clerk's office on Aug 31, but since that is a tale of procrastination, not triumph, I will not resurrect it.) Added a nifty little template and focused some of it around a new/old quote I have taken a liking to:

"The whole outlook of mankind might be changed if we could all believe that we dwell under a friendly sky and that the God of heaven, though exalted in power and majesty, is eager to be friends with us."
- Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy

I've been rereading Tozer a bit and I was drinking some coffee and reading through one of the later chapters. I had to run and borrow a pen from a worker to mark it down because I didn't want to forget where I had found it. I love how it points out that God wants to be friends with us. I immediately felt like a little kid meeting the new little neighbor kid when I read it. It sounds so simple, almost too simple, but I think we overlook that so often when our sin causes us to see God as a bully. He wants to be our friend and our dad, which is pretty cool.

Cheers.

Edit: Some old music to rediscover: The Police - Message in a Bottle, Phil Collins - Against All Odds