Columbia

Here I come.

Troop 817

So this last weekend was pretty good.

It's kinda late in the Summer but I decided to finally begin my service to the society that has made such a huge difference in my life...no this time it isn't SPEBSQSA... The BSA - Boy Scouts (of) America.








At first I found myself pretty rusty in the outdoors. I haven't been camping since before I got my eagle award back in November of 2005. I had just signed the forms that state that I am now a working assistant scout master the week before the campout and I've only been to one or two of the meetings before then and so this was quite the crash course back into scouting not to mention I had a lot of people to meet and get to know. I feel a bit at a loss since now I have to leave for school. The personality I've portrayed and the ones that I was presented with are still fresh and I have a lot of work before I am considered a next of kin among these scouts. No worries. I plan on spending more time with them in the future.

I've already planned far in advance and will be a camp counselor at the nearby Scout Camp. I applied and as soon as I told them I was over 18 years old they kinda hinted that the job was pretty much a guarantee. The pay is good and the housing and food is provided by them. All I have to do is do what I love and whatever they require of me. I told one of the camp counselors that my favorite merit badge to learn was sailing. I felt so at ease and free with the wind as my power and the boat as my guide across the water. This being said when I received my acceptance letter I was quite pleased to see that my area of expertise will be water Sports (that means I'll be teaching sailing while getting to do it myself) AHHH! Next summer will be simply perfect! Besides that from what I've seen the camp is an amazing complex and the staff are all tightly knit. Just what I'm looking for.

Well, I digress. This is much farther in the future than I should be concentrating on. in just three days begins my intensive study at my dream school. I just can't lose sight of that open lake. That's my drive.

Homescapades

So I'm packing my things for Columbia today and in addition I've decided to go through some of the boxes we have yet to open since we've moved here to Loveland. In doing so I've attached my survival knife to my belt so I could have easy access to a blade in which to cut open boxes.



Lunch was late today and when my lil' bro Ryan called me up I made a dash for it. m mm, Pizza.

At the end of lunch my mother inquired as to why I had a knife sheathed to my side. I withdrew the blade and proceeded to show her it while explaining I was opening boxes. I also showed her the compass, fire-starting kit,sewing needle and thread, and fishing line and hook that was held in the secret compartment in the handle. Nevertheless it did seem a bit overkill for any situation one might be faced with.

The next thought that crossed her mind was for what reason would I need a survival knife in Chicago for.

she says," Are ya gonna skin homeless people?"

dramatic pause...

Ryan adds,"For their fur??"



So the laughter ensues! and a halfway swallowing Andrew rushes to open the back sliding door but fails to do so in time thus jettisoning the remainder of his chug from his nose onto himself and everything in a two foot radius...he falls to the ground flinching with laughter.

I haven't laughed that hard in a long long time!

As anxious as I am to leave for school I will miss my family and all their oddness.

Colum

Today I got back from my expedition back into homeland Illinois. I won't explain in much detail my anticipation for the move to Columbia, everyone knows the feeling I think from at least once in their life. It's that full body excitement. You feel every part of your body just surge with an intuition that "this is right". From my fingers to my toes and ending in my heart there is just the sense that something great has come to fruition. Too bad School doesn't start till the 4th of September.



On a second note...why isn't it easier to win the lotto? I could really use an ass-load of cash real soon, more like right now! I'm thinking of starting to invest some of what I already have...I'm just not sure where to start exactly. Maybe a mutual fund just to be safe. Then when I amass some more cash then maybe try my luck on buying my own stocks. I took a class in high school and know a lot about the market and even did really well in a little mock market practice that lasted the whole class. Damn just what I need more stress...

Lastly, and to take my mind off of school and what I need for school, I've realized how detrimental it is for family to be in limited contact with each other. Living in Ohio has for my family pretty much taken us an equal distance in every direction away from family. The las family reunion I remember having was my father's father's (my grandfather)funeral. That wasn't exactly in highest of spirits either. My big bro and sis are coming into town soon and for that I'm super psyched about! It seems we only find it in our schedules to see each other about once a year nowadays. There will most definitely be some good catching up once they get in.

well I 'spose that sums it up for now. Lots going on here in the future but that's something to be eager about. Tomorrow it's back to guarding the King on his Island. Then towards the end of August begins a new and very exciting chapter in the life of a Griffin.

Higher Ground

Things seem to finally start making sense it seems here in Ohio.

I love work! Being a security guard at Kings Island was the perfect job for me. It's the perfect blend of down time and busy work that I can call comfortable. Not to mention all the adventures I've been on. Just in the past week I've disarmed about 5 fights/ belligerently drunk people, witnessed the escort of two young 14 year olds whom were caught having oral sex in a changing room, and have closed out every night with a pseudo-spectacular firework show. Most days I slump into my house with a feeling of fulfillment and anticipation for the next day.

Tomorrow I pack for my Chicago trip. Orientation is upon me and I feel like I'm quite literally not on top of it. Things are a bit fuzzy as to what is going to happen when I get there but I'm crossing my fingers and saying a little prayer in hopes that that is normal. GOD JUST LET IT WORK OUT!

The 4th

Everyone has their favorite holiday. Some love the gift giving and the religious meaning of Christmas. Some enjoy the togetherness of family and friends that Thanksgiving seems to embody. Myself, I just like to see things blow up, turn bright colors, and come 2 decibels from shattering my eardrums. I also have a certain sense of national pride, despite the travesties our nation has faced in the past ::cough:: Bush ::cough::. Tonight was the 4th of July ...eve...fireworks show at Kings Island and there was quite a show! All the noise and lights just send my adreneline skyrocketting. I love it! If anyone wanted to ransack the park tonight would've been the night for it since all I could do was stare on at the works going on above our 1/3 sized eiffel tower. I'll admit I've made some stupid mistakes in the past when it comes to handling fireworks myself, I.E. blowing up the back seat of my dad's car, but again I'm drawn to the light like a huge wingless moth. Tom Cound, Chad O'Brien, Erik Shute, and Ethan Young can all attest to this fact. I'm a firework junkie if you want proof...I'll send you THE video. So many good memories of mine involve explosions. God I love this holiday!!!!!!!

My New Desk

I live in the basement of my family's new house and have done most of my computing from a small crowded folding card table. I decided I'd go to Goodwill to fix my space problem and to upgrade from card table to wooden table. 15 dollars, a very precarious ride home and a sore back later I've got a nice new/old table. A rather good investment I'd say. It looks very executive and has plenty of space to work on so I'm rather excited. Now if I can only finish the walls...I think I might be able to make something of this subterrainian abode.

NPR : Ben Gibbard Gives Solo Concert

NPR : Ben Gibbard Gives Solo Concert

How To Eat a Watermelon

Walking

Have you ever gone on a long walk and just wished that all the lights around you would just turn off. I find myself almost every night going for a walk right around 1 o'clock. I like being alone and sometimes just wish the lights would all shut off for the duration of my expedition. I seem to always find myself ending up at this one special place where the only light that seems near to me is that of the stars. I'll just sit there. In actuality I think that although I am there and I want to seem solitary I truly could use someone by my side. Anyone. I feel like I've gone down a path too far and that there is nobody but just me. I haven't made a single true friend here at "home". It sucks all too much lemme tell you. Is it possible to find anyone in the dark? Someone who is alone and wants to be alone as well? I think my efforts are in vain. Until I can find it comfortable in the light again I just want to walk in the dark. There is nothing for me here and I am very unsettled. I think I've quite literally become the stranger on a quiet street.

AHHH! 911!!!

Today seemed like it was gonna be one of another in a series of boring days. I had spent most of my day, sadly, in my basement on my computer. At 9 o'clock my little brother andrew ran downstairs and told me my little brother Ryan had broken his arm. I can't describe the amount of urgency I took as I bound out of the basement. I ran upstairs and out the back door and sure enough back behind our playground in the backyard was my little bro with his arm bent in a place it very well shouldn't have been bent. My brothers and one of Ryans friend were running around chasing each other when Ryan slipped down the ladder on the playset. His arm, unfortunately, became stuck between two rungs and snapped. I told him not to move it and immediately called 911. It's really scary to see a loved one in turmoil. I'd never broken a bone in my body but I can guess it is similair to the pain I felt if not worse when I had torn my lateral meniscus. He was in shock at first when I had initially arrived on the scene but after he quit moving it and my mom calmed him down he immediately wanted to solve the problem. He didn't cry a bit from that moment on. The sight of his bent arm made hime a little sick to his stomach but he endured the pain like a real champ. I'm in absolute awe as to how well he dealt with the situation. My dad was at a town meeting so my mom and Andrew had to pick him up. We couldn't reach him on his phone because he was speaking at the meeting. Thanks to one of the neighbors that offered to drive over and tell him what had happened we could rally the family together. As the family was getting together I offered to ride with the paramedics and Ryan in the ambulance to help answer any questions.

The paramedics were extremely nice and Ryan
answered all their questions
including the ones about school and baseball.

He could feel but it hurt to move his fingers

Even on the bumpy ride to the hospital all the way in Cinncinnati he kept the most calm composure. The paramedic asked some questions and with a little help from me the topic of conversation eventually landed on whether he was going to be able to play baseball or go to school. At the Hospital everything went by smoothly.

Not a Bit Nervous

He got put to sleep for a bit and they re-aligned his radius and ulna and they bound it in a temporary brace and fitted him for an arm sling.

Taking a Nap

Drowsy Thumbs Up

Already Being Pampered

Walking out of the hospital all he was worried about then was how much longer he would have to wait to get home so he could eat some oatmeal. we just got back home at about 1:15 and he's off to bed and hoping that next week when they put his cast on if he can have it done up so it looks like camoflauge...he loves anything army related. I can admit to coming to tears a few times tonight. I can't stand seeing anyone I love come to harm. Even when the doctor raised his arm a bit and he winced in pain. I felt just absolutely distresed. Now everything is better and from here Ryan gets the king's treatment. Unfortunately he will have to stop playing baseball...too bad too he caught a line drive at 3rd base the other day. I'm just glad that he isn't in any more pain and proud to have such a truly brave little brother.

Don't know what knees are?

Here is a short tutorial that will help you -

• knees

Securely Secured

I LOVE my new job...don't get me wrong there are pros and there are cons but for the most part my choice of job this summer is flawless. As security guard for a theme park there are many responsibilities...more than I had originally bargained for. My job does comprise of standard security things such as patrols and standing guard at certain places but unlike most security jobs a security job at a theme park demands constant attention. My first day on the job was rather easy. One of the more experienced officers, Rob Otero, had me shadow him. All in all that day was uneventful due to rain...this however made for a very drenched me. The next day was sunny and nice out and I was on my own. This is where I did most of the learning. All the radio lingo and signals were foreign to me. I did have a decoding chart but had accidentally left it at home...so I'm sitting there listening to base calling out signal 7s and 26s and I'm like WTF?! Not much harm came that day thankfully. Just two days ago I helped apprehend 8 drunk kids from a ride. They were all in their late twenties and two of them tried resisting arrest. Too bad the jail was full or they would've been sent to the slammer. But wow let me tell you...there isn't too much of a difference between me and the other security guards and the on site police officers. It was an absolute adreneline rush to be there on the scene of an arrest...It felt like I was in a COPS episode. The cons of the job are easily gotten over when you look at all the good you're doing for people. Cons include soar legs blisters on your feet and sunburns. A lot of good comes from what I do there. I reunite lost children with their parents, help people find things they've lost, help keep the park clean, and so on and so on. I can't wait until the park opens full-time! Hopefully I'll get a chance to ride some of the attractions...it's hard as hell to describe a ride to people you've never been on yourself!

Rider on the Storm

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh! I need to just scream...I'm so stressed out.

3 Tornado drills today.

3 times today did I have to stop my studying and writing to file into a hallway and sit on the ground and waste precious time...Time which seems so precious and yet at the same time so wretched. The storms wasted probably about a good 4 hours of my day. By the third one I decided to run outside before the RAs could catch me and I just stood in a field crouched down and watched the rage of the flickering bolts and prodigious pounds as the sky moved in opposite directions converging at what seemed to be right over my head. It was relaxing but when it all subsided on went college.

When I got back I found out my roommate was leaving today...like right then when I got back. It was sad. I'm sorta alone now here as I type away in my lonely, bare room. I'd give anything to leave now as well but unfortunately for me I have the privilege of lingering here in the bowling greens until Friday. Stoopid finals. I'm gonna miss Corey and all the guys. We've all made plans to go to the Warped Tour in Cincy later in the summer so there still may be one last reunion...then I go my way and they theirs.

A lot has happened this past year. And I feel no regret leaving it all behind. In some odd way I enjoy having this room to myself. I have wanted some solitude for awhile now.

Phase Daze

A great anxiety has welled up from inside of me lately. I'm ready for something to happen next. I want so badly to barrel into a new phase. Dont'cha hate that? It seems to me as if we all track the progress of our lives in phases. Please, correct me if I'm wrong. It's so linear. I can, in a short one paragraph essay, guide you through the series of phases that have compiled thus far in my life. Sad, but despite that fact the end of one phase and the beginning of another tends to be such large punctuated milestones in our lives...I think I'm about to hit one here...I think...I hope. Am I there yet? Am I there yet? Am I there yet...?

Pink Bullets

I don't know if any of you are big indie rock fans but I sure as hell am. I was messing around with some equipment and some stolen software on my computer last night and I was able to mix down a song done by The Shins called Pink Bullets...I don't own a pop filter(yet) so the vocals aren't all too great and the levels are kinda shoddy...I realized later what the problem was (computer related) but I was finished with the song by that time and I don't think it's too bad. If you'd like to hear scroll down to the bottom of my blog here and find my little project playlist player and scroll to the last two songs on the little list thingy. You'll see the first one has no effects(except for an echo filter on the harmonica part) and then the other one has a myriad of phaser type things - that was just for fun. Listen and let me know whatcha think! You may have to hit play and then hit pause and let it sit for a bit to load (I do) but if that doesn't work for you or if you run into any other problems e-mail me and I'll send you the mp3 file...that way you can add it to your ipod if you'd like).

The family came up the other day and we unloaded most of my room of its contents...kinda devoid in here but when move out comes up here in a week I'll just have to basically hop in the van and take off. So close...Stay cool!

I need an AED

Last weekend I was certified by the Red Cross to administer adult, child, and infant CPR, the use of an automated electronic defibrillator, and basic first aid. One more step towards being officially certified for my security job this summer.

With the end of the school year upon me and so many plans for my near future...it's getting harder and harder to stay concentrated on the here and now. This is a bad thing. I’m just too excited to get out of here. I’ve already started packing my things and my parents are coming this weekend to take most of my stuff back home.

In the second week of May I’ll have the majority of the week off and so I’ve devised a plan to visit Oswego. This is convenient for multiple reasons. Tom will be in Ohio that weekend and will be able to pick me up and drive me back with him to Oswego and it’s also the week of the spring musical at OHS! I was worried I wouldn’t get the chance to see the show but since theme parks don’t open full swing till later in may the gaps in the earlier weeks of may give me some freedom. I can’t wait to see everyone!

My Videos

If I could direct your attention to the side panel over to you right you'll notice a new section deally called My Vids. I encourage you to go ahead and click on those and watch them. Right now I have some videos of one of my favorite blues harpists and also the man I've been taking online lessons with via youtube. His name is Adam Gussow, He's an Ivy League graduate and he played on the streets of Harlem back in the late 80s with a guitarist who went by the name of Mr. Satan. Together they formed Satan and Adam a two man blues band that reigned over the streets. Check it out!

See Food

I like seafood. I like fish, crawfish, and even enjoy a good piping warm bowl of Chunky New England Clam Chowdah. But...today I was absolutely repulsed by what usually would be a savory idea for a meal. The Sundial (which is the closest dining hall to me here on the campus of BG) closed at 7 tonight...I decided I was hungry after 7 and was denied food from their sub-par dining dith hole of a hall. So I went to my room realizing I had been saving up for such an occasion. I had two large cases of Ramen Noodle. One is chicken the other shrimp. With little debate I proceeded in cooking up a cup of the shrimp and noodles. MMMM!!!! Shrimp..........NOT!

-Tah-Dah-

If you can see it there it's right next to the tip of that pen. I've never seen a shrimp that...well...shrimpy. Plus - shrimp aren't suppossed to look like aborted fetuses .
-sorry-
I am just as disgusted. Honestly. I almost Vomed.

Here it is...the last few weeks of my freshman year of college. Kinda came up on me fast here it seems. This week has been kinda stressful but the other day I got a package in the mail from my mom. Two dvds and a modified easter basket full of candy. Gotta hand it to her, she knows how to get to my heart. Having that little bit of home in front of me when I opened the box up on my dilapidated couch of a footon made me think back to home and how much I love my family. I definately needed to take a moment to stop thinking about school constantly and remember that I have them too.

ah yes new template...any comments? I made the little dealy picture with my Stranger on a Quiet Street theme.

Short update. Lots to do this weekend. stay tuned in case anything exciting happens. I doubt it.