Day 12

The last day of August.

I look back at my summer, it's been a ride. A roller coaster of irresolute. Nonetheless, everything that has come at me has made me stronger. A better man. Innovation cannot be halted. I'm moving forward. Creating my new future. Until I die.

I started watching "The Green Mile" again, trying to get through it. As of this point in time I only have an hour left. I spent my early day around the house, cooking for myself, making new foods, and enjoying more down time, something that the future wife, job, and kids will sever from my schedule.

Went back to school, spent more time in my argument class learning how to argue, watching the infamous Westboro Baptist videos, and ended the class day with spanish. Clase de Espanol es muy bien. Tambien, Mi libro es muy muy expensivo. Meh, I'm learning.

Ended the night by grabbing Q'doba (No correlation between my spanish class and the food, honest) with Melissa and then headed over to Chad Vanderband the man's house and relived the venerable video game years of the N64, particularly Mario Party, which is actually really fun. I wouldn't mind doing another round of that. In fact, ending my Wednesday nights like that every week would be awesome, considering me and Chad are both out of our night classes at the same time....

- N64 Nerds -

Day 11

An early morning brings wet lawn, rising dawn, dew on grass, communication class. (had to go into rhyme mode).


I went out to GVSU for my only morning class, Tuesday and Thursday mornings for only 65-70 minutes. I love it. My entire day is unbound, and I am a free spirit to do whatever during that day. I always have work off on Tuesdays, so my personal days needed to travel, road trip, hang out, explore, etc, will now land on Tuesday's lap. Went home after my class and floated around the house. I was able to work out, something I haven't done in almost two weeks, and I'm taking a hit for it. I've lost 5 lbs, my body is deflating. In addition to working out, trying to ensure the pounds remain, I ate about 5 meals today. Every other hour I kept eating. Burgers. Salads. Ice Cream. Protein Shakes. Water... lots of water. Cheese. Bacon Sandwich. Cereal. Pure Cherry Juice. I was full.

At night I went out to Holland for my night class tonight, very interesting class. Its a 300 level liberal art class that expresses creativity. We aren't painting or drawing, it's not an art class, but just a class where we tap into the creative spot in our minds. My professor is great, she doesn't believe in grades, attendance, she is there to help us drill into our cerebral nerves and spark creativity and innovation. I'm going to like this class. It meets every other week, so six more times in Holland, getting creative.

Ended the night with a movie. I haven't had a personal movie night in awhile. When I refer to movie night, I mean the whole experience. Surround sound, leather chair, pop corn machine turned on, butter, flavor, and of course a good movie. I started watching "The Green Mile", and I'm only a 3rd of the way through it, but it's so good. So sad. So dark. Will continue that tonight...

- Popcorn setup for movie -

Day 10

First day of school! Sorry, had to spit that out, rewind....

Morning was good. I slept in. Then I woke up and realized I had the house to myself all day. This means I can be as loud as I want, crazy as I want, blast music as loud as I want, yah.. I fullfilled the Verizon motto. I "ruled the air".

We got a new kitten. My dads friend found it under an overpass. it's cute. I was under the impression it was a girl, but I was wrong. I guess it's a boy. Looks like my sister and Melissa get to name it. I do like Ash for a name.

So GVSU, I'm excited, classes are great, the campus is beautiful, I'm really going to like it. I was able to get another huge salad for dinner, and I just sat by myself in the basement area of the dining room, just eating and reading the news. Life was good. True, I'm shelling out serious coin this time around, but wisdom is worth it. I believe it, wisdom and knowledge. Pursue them hard. Good first day of school.

- Me and the new Kiten -

Day 9

After awakening from a mere three hour sleep, wait. Start over. This is highly innaccurate.
After suffering from the aftermath of waking up from a three hour nap, I got ready for work.

Typical day at work, minus catching two people "making love" on the job, and yes, I use the phrase making love because that was their excuse. They were in love. Therefore, they make love. Logically I guess that sounds...... factual. Meh, its not my life.

Left work and picked up Melissa and we drove over to Noah's, where we hung out briefly, and for some odd and unknown reason (as always), I plastered electrical tape over my face and then removed it, leaving behind a sticky debt of debris all over my face. Melissa got a flat tire, me and my dad helped her change it. Then we left and decided to get together for my last night before my school year starts. We went to 25 Kitchen and Bar. They have a vast selection of beers on tap, all independent casks from breweries all over the world. Add a goat cheese Mexican styled pizza and it was good. Fine dinner, fine girl, fine city, fine night, fine summer.

On a more sad note, my cousin and second brother Cameron moved into Michigan State University. It's his freshmen year, and it doesn't seem plausible that he is graduated high school and moved to college. The memories of us playing star wars and doing Jedi (wow, apparently Jedi is an actual word now, and its supposed to be capitalized... spell check recognized that. Way to go George Lucas.)..... Jedi training on the playground, going on trips, Cedar Point, Mexico, Winter Lodge, it's been great. Every time I doubt people on earth and fear that human decency is draining to its dry, Cameron reminds me that there are still great guys out there. Sorry ladies, he's taken. Have fun at State Cameron, get that futon ready.

- Me and my cousin Cameron. Taken in Mexico July 28, 2010. -

Day 8

Saturday. And I don't work. That is enough motivation to get me out of my bed and dance. Truth be told, there was no dancing though. I'll repeat that. I did NOT dance. Spent some time around the house, skyped with my good friend Pat who is living in the motherland, and was able to give in to nerdom and play Call of Duty.

The afternoon was a delight. Mowed the backyard, and then departed for one last final visit to the beaches of Grand Haven, accompanied by Melissa, her friend Olivia (who is Hungarian), and Melissa's brother Michael. The waves were behemothic, which I crave for our tiny state to have. It reminded me of California.... being able to dive into a wall of water that is pushing you in a similar liquid form to two sparring football players on the field. Took a walk out on the pier and was even more agape by the prodigious pounding of 15-20 foot waves. Absolute awe. The entire time there I spent thinking how we as humans are still at the mercy of the earth. The water, the seas, and the oceans are always retaining power over us. NYC is about to experience this truth with Irene swiftly approaching. Even when I was lying on the beach, the winds were so wild, that the tiny grains of sand that were flying fortuitously threw the air, gently piercing your skin in thousands of spots reminded me that this is not our home. This is Earth, and she still runs the show.

Ended the night with a end of the summer bonfire at my good friend Noah's house, which is a regular haven for bonfires in general. Lauren, Chad, Alena, Melissa, and Heather were all present, and we just sat around a fire, drank (I topped off the bottle of Lucky Duck wine. Thank you, thank you), and just had fun. Simple night. So thankful for my friends..... so thankful. Whatever the future brings, your friends need to be brought along with it.

- The bonfire gang. thank you all for your friendship. Sincerely -

Day 7

Today is what I like to call a "great day". A lot got done that falls perfectly under the blog title, time, moment, memories..... it was grand.

Woke up and took my cat to the vet. She's had a bad ear infection forever and I finally took her in to get her checked out. Watching the vet try not to gag was embarrassing enough, but after six extremely dirty q-tips, some ear pads, and a oral vaccination, my cat is one the way to a better, cleaner feline lifestyle.

- Trinity, my cat - (yes, I cheated, I have two pictures from today -

Made my way out to GVSU today with my good friend Chad. We walked around campus, went into our halls and classrooms, book shopped, and ate at the newest addition to the Grand Valley acreage, the Connection, which features a beautifully new cafe that pays homage to all things organic and local in Grand Rapids. The salad I created  was probably the healthiest food item I've consumed in awhile.

Checked out my good friends Silvia, Dan, & Steve's new house tonight. It's a beautiful home. Huge. Fit for them perfectly. Steve, Dan, & Silvia own Fuse Pictures, a production company that has been truly up and coming in the spotlights of creative talent around Michigan. They're gonna go miles with their three heads together, and the work I've done with them thus far has been rewarding (In 2009 we shot a documentary over a 3 month period). I'll be visiting this house frequently.

Finally, me and my friend Chad met up again and took the drive out to Grand Haven. I've been wanting to go to the beach when its dark this entire summer, but much to my vain hope, I've failed. An unkind troll of a lady told us we couldn't be on the beach, so we left and went to my favorite beach spot in Michigan (at least that I've discovered). We were the only ones on the entire beach (it's private), and we sat on swings and just talked about life. I love swinging on the swings, achieving incredible height, and never looking down, but always looking up. The stars were anything but shy tonight, and looking straight up while you are thrusting forward on a swing upward, defying Newton's laws, all while imagining you're careening upward into the starry subspace. It kept giving me goosebumps... I made it so real. Getting to the top of the swing, looking up into a black celestial abyss and just wanting to let go and fly. (Yes, I do this every time I'm at this beach.... the swings are about 40 feet from the water, so the sounds and smell intensify the chimera). This was by far the most beautiful sight of my summer. After walking along the wet sand, we chatted and left, only to become very lost in the suburbs of Muskegon, but much to our avail, we were able to financially attack some fast food chains, and start a "fast food hop".

Today, tonight, and me are happy. Goodnight world. You are a beautiful province.

- Steve, Myself, and Dan. Producers, Actors, Writers, Directors. Art. -

Day 6

Today was off to a good morning. I woke up to find my mom watching Dexter again at 8 something in the A.M. I had a bowl of Rice Krispies, and after listening intently to the snap, crackle, and pop, I've realized that I just don't think they're talking to me.

I left my house around 10:00 and ventured over to my grandma's, where I met up with her and then the two of us did some shopping. While I should be buying school books, I spent the time endowing for the autumn weather and some clothes to counter it. Good bargain shopping as always, got a coat I really liked. I'm excited to wear it, and no, I'm not gay.

Went home, put some stuff for sale on eBay, vagabonded around my room and filled time until I worked yet again, only a closing shift tonight. The night ended at some time spent at my friend Melissa's house. I do extol the time I spend there, no matter what the night serves.These late nights are shaping me into the man I need to be. Lack of sleep = growth of character.

- New Fall Coat -

Day 5

I love to be able to sleep in. I hate when sleeping in ends in awakening before I would be eating lunch. It's a feeling that the morning has been stolen from your day. You are thrust into the action of the afternoon and beyond. Nonetheless, I needed it. Sleep is an escape, in many forms.

More work. Nothing out of the ordinary, just an orthodox routine that I follow when the day calls for it (this tends to be every day). I was probably still on the fact that my morning had evaporated into the time spectrum and I couldn't believe how fast the day was going. After thinking about this and when I'm gonna buy my college supplies, I pushed it aside.

After work I made the trip to my grandmother's house, where my family got together to celebrate my dad's 49th birthday. He's 49. Half of 98. Over double my age. If our lives are like tape measures, and you roll out the yellow steel to the inch mark that indicates your date, it's a sight to see when you realize how small we as humans truly are. Try this. Take out a tape measure. If you are my age (22), roll it out to the 100 inch mark, and then subtract your age from 100. What you will have left (78 inches), is your life. That is how much time you have left. Play with the 22 inches that you sucked back into the tool a bit, and see, that even though 22 inches measures out to be a lot of yellow metal, just like that, its gone. It gets sucked instantly back into the steel vortex where it's held. That's how our lives are. Just like that, we are here. I look at the 78 inches left on my reel, and realize two things.
1.) This is all under the impression that I live till I'm 100, so if I die younger, my distance would even be shorter.
2.) Live your life. No time for the dilly dally of a dilatory life.
Good times, good cake, good food, and good drinks. I love these people. In the realm of reality, all of our tape measures have been built in the master construction of our family. Our life. No one can ever tear that constructed art down. Ever.

- Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Me, Shelby, Mom, Ethan -

Day 4

So at 8:00am I'm doing daycare duty. I don't typically work the playroom at my fitness center, but I took someone's shift this morning, and I've needed an early morning wake up to prep for the looming school year. I end up watching my boss' two boys. In the next 3 hours, I'm out of breath, I'm sweaty, I'm bruised, and I'm picking up a thousand pieces of Play-dough, but I'm happy. Watching kids is such a window of the mind to experience a beta version of parenting. You have to get to their level. You have to be willing to look like a dork to the public eye, and become whatever the kid wants you to. Parenting, though still down my road in life, will be something I'll happily accept.

I sped out of work and grabbed lunch downtown with my dad and his business partner John at the Sundance Grill,  a great little cafe / diner with the urban Grand Rapids feel. I got scrambled eggs with crab meat and it was delicious. My dad is great, and so is John, and for an hour, the three of us just talked, exchanged stories, and ate our lunch. I love those two guys. I really do.

Back to the fitness center, for my sanctioned shift at the desk. Typical work day, file papers, clean the gym, create new promotions and ideas, you get the picture. I grabbed a massage after I left due to an inflamed muscle in my back that was resembling a mound growing out of my back.

Once home, me and my friend Melissa grabbed some salad and salmon, and I'd be lying if i said it wasn't great. The rest of the night was spent with me and her talking, watching old videos from my high school days, Curb Your Enthusiasm (one of the funniest shows I've ever seen), and staying up until the sun comes up. Okay.....maybe she's not just a friend.

- Playdough mess in the playroom. I made the dog -

Day 3

A day off. I like these days. It's like a mini-holiday, I get to catch up with my life, fill in the cracks, paint the edges, that sort of feeling. I'm truly thankful I'm able to work part-time. I've never been a man who can be married to work.

I don't know want to sit here and tell you I did anything exuberantly exciting, since it was a day off, and I like a good day off to just hang out with myself, whether that's wrestle with my little brother, play video games, work out, or clean out my itunes library. All of these are just great feelings. It's like hitting a refresh button on your life. Actually, it was the first day I've worked out in awhile. I've fallen behind on that routine. There's something about it that feels good, in the sense that you're able to vent and burn off stress without really feeling it. Some men prefer to drink, others may scream into a wad of cotton, or feel the need to brawl, but I've always been in the category of exhaling emotion through working out. It works.

Tonight I got to have dinner with a great friend of mine, Steve Moerdyk. Steve and I have been great friends since high school, particularly junior year of high school and beyond. We worked on landscaping jobs together, took several of the same classes in high school, and then continued to enjoy the good life through college. We sat over plates of orange chicken tonight and just caught up with each other, and filled in the cracks and painted the edges of our own lives with each other. I'm very blessed to have someone I can look up to and heed, and Steve has done a knockout job at being that friend for me. Time is still moving forward with that.

- Steve Moerdyk-

 

Day 2

Slept in. I needed it. Bad. Thankfully I woke up just in time to realize there was a Sunday dinner at grandma's that was waiting for me.

My grandma made a great meal. Grade A food all around. It's one of those meals where you don't even realize what you are eating; there's such a combination of food in everything. I think one of the options was a shell with bacon turkey and ham wrapped in it that was blanketed by a mixture of cheese sauces. I honestly don't know, and I care not to. It ruins the appreciation. Good dinner, good time spent with my grandparents and my sister.

I went and saw the film "the Tree of Life". wow. I have never seen a movie like this before. It's a non-narrative film, meaning it just branches off (no pun intended) into log segments of shots of nature, the sky, earth, animals; all of which pertain to life, how beautiful we have the capacity to be, and how easily we can be tainted. The whole time I was just constantly thinking about my life, to the point where I realized I wasn't even watching the movie, but just thinking. It was like a cinematic psychiatrist. The ending showcases what Heaven may look like for the person who may not get there, and it just.....wow. Go see it. It was $4.00.

Finished off the night at T.G.I. Friday's, a franchised restaurant that puts the "thank God" in the leaving of the establishment, not the entry. Met with one of my best friends Melissa, and her sister Mandy and friend Kelsey. We talked, caught up, all while I couldn't stop thinking about the Tree of Life. Just couldn't grasp the idea that free will is actually free. No government agency, no pope, no business can tax or refund that. It's free. It's free will. Thank you God.

-Tree of Life Poster-

Day 1

Here's to the next 365 days.

Days. Moments. Memories. Fragments of life.

Last week I was able to catch up to with a great friend of mine, (this is you Ty), and was inspired to capture my life with a brief paragraph or two along with a picture, something Ty has done for the last 200+ days.
It's going to be arduous, but I'm going to do it.

No reason. No goal. No reward. Just keepsake. I can look back after a year and see where I've gone, who I've met, and what I've done.

This will be updated in the style of the morning after. Every morning will be a new post from the previous day. With my night owl lifestyle, finishing out the day on a blog is a remonstrance. Tomorrow morning, what I did today will be palpable. Finally, all of the pictures on here, unless specified, are capture using my cellphone. (thank you Android).

Here's to the future.

-View from my house to the west-