Alive and Well in Florance

I am alive. Me and Andrew drove all the way across the United States. Nampa to Atlanta. Then we flew to London. Saw the guys in the goofy hats. Then we flew to Palermo, Sicily. We hitchhiked across Sicily and saw some sweet little towns and beaches including Cefalu! Almost forgot my underwear in the trunk of an Italian lady's car. When we got to the boot of Italy, we trained up through Tropea, Lamezia, Salerno, and eventually, Rome! Rome was awesome. Lots of old buildings. Andrew just set off the alarm in the building we are in. We are in Florance. I think we have to leave. No, we're good. False alarm. I am looking for a hostel in Interlaken, Switzerland. Good stuff.

Saying Goodbye...

I've never really had to say goodbye for real. I didn't have any really close friends in high school, so it really didn't bother me when I left. And moving from Portland to Nampa is only like a 7 hour drive, so I didn't really say goodbye to any close friends or family when I left for college because I know that I would see them again. But now, for the first time in my life, I have to come to terms with the fact that I may not see some close friends or family for a long time.

Here in college, I have developed closer relationships than ever before, I have learned to love deeper, and I have found friendships in people whom I would have never previously thought to befriend. Let me tell you: if you have never truly had to say goodbye to somebody, it isn't easy. Some were tougher than others.

All this sacrifice is done with the idea that there is something better off on the horizon. Maybe I will find a house that is homier than 3403 NE 76th or 316 E Sheridan. Maybe I will develop closer friendships and deeper relationships. Maybe I will learn more somewhere in the east than I ever could have hoped to learn out here in the west. Maybe I will find something or someone that makes me happy. I will continue to work hard, have fun, and seek God, and maybe, just maybe, I'll find that thing, place, or person that I will not have to say goodbye to. That's it for now.

Packing

The time has come, the walrus said, to pack up many things. My books and socks in boxes brown and instruments with strings. All right, now I have that out my system. I spent about an hour today sorting through old papers and keepsakes. It took time, but I think I am done with the paper portion. Now I just have to drop things in boxes. I realized that I really don't need most of what I have. I need my Army stuff and I need my phone, but most everything else is just junk that will probably end up in some trunk. Word. I will probably take off from Nampa on Wednesday or Thursday. Me and Andrew are driving over to West Virginia to see Josh Ritter and then down to Georgia. I'll drop my car there and fly to Europe and see the sights there for a few weeks. I hope my car makes it that far. It'll be a good trip. But first I have to pack.

Life?

Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him - for this is his lot.

Hope

Sometimes, when I think that I've lost all hope, I watch this and it makes me feel something, if only for a few moments.

Live

I went on a rant about an hour ago. I'm sorry for whoever had to hear it. Actually, I'm not sorry. The words that were said had to be said.

Here's what it comes down to:
1. Christ tells us not to worry about what we will eat or drink, etc.
2. Josh Ritter asks us which is better: to have love at the immediate expense of the world around us, or to lose that love.
3. Paul Simon tells us that we are all Slip Slidin' Away.
4. T.S. Eliot reminds us that words crack and break under the burden of defining time. He tells us that what is important is "Quick, now, here, now always-"

So what does all this mean? Quit worrying about what will happen to you tomorrow. Don't be afraid to love! If you blink, you will miss the real meaning of life. What matters is here. Now. Stop reading my blog! Go out and make a difference. Make friendships! Fall in love! Smell the most fragrant flower! Eat the spiciest spaghetti! Live life and have fun doing it! That is all!

Plans Change

I wouldn't say that I changed my plans, per say. I would say that they were changed for me. The Army decided that February 2009 was too long, so now I am off to the Basic Officer Course on June 8th of this year. Quite a change. Now there isn't enough time! I have about a month to do something. I don't yet know what that something is, but it will be epic. Maybe. Or maybe I'll just kick around Nampa and watch the NBA playoffs. Who really knows? Because I sure don't.

Huge discovery #2: I found out what my permanent duty station is going to be! Drum roll please...(no pun intended)...It's Fort Drum, New York. Fort Drum is in the northern part of New York and is located between Syracuse and Ottawa, near the Canadian border. It is situated near the thriving metropolis of Watertown, NY. Watertown is right on lake Ontario. Sweet. I have never actually been to the northeast, so this will be a good chance for me to see what all the fuss is about. People keep telling me there will be a lot of snow. I say "bring it on". That's all for today. Expect a big Mexico post very soon.