Goodbye Temple

Well, it's finally over.

Wow, those words look as spectacular in print as they sounded when I yelled them out to an amused classroom and a visibly annoyed professor as I handed in my last final as a Temple University Undergraduate student. I am having trouble putting into words how I feel about this monumental portion of my life, so my apologies for being scatterbrained, although this differs little from my normal writing pre-blog hiatus. I will make no attempt to "list" my subject matter below or categorize anything I will touch on, so as to pay homage to my college career: Chaotic and reckless, but ultimately reaching a final destination.

Let me begin by saying that there couldn't be a more poetic end to my time at Temple U. I'm serving my final shift in an empty Johnson & Hardwick Computer Lab as I write this, while sipping on my third free Dunkin Donuts iced coffee of the day. The only way my time on campus could end more appropriately is if I had to walk through a rally for a disgusting liberal cause to get to my car on the way out (which is still a distinct possibility). I must say that the work study at J&H that I've been doing for the past 3-4 years has been a total Godsend. I've gotten paid to get homework done, chat with some interesting people, get internet time, and work out (while in the adjacent Fitness Center I also worked in). Granted, there have been times where everything's breaking down and spoiled students are complaining about the facilities, but I still feel it's been the easiest job I've ever worked, and just a perfect compliment to any student's busy schedule.

Speaking of schedules, my packed one this semester couldn't have possibly worked out better. One thing I've learned about myself is that the busier I am on a daily basis, the more productive I am with my free time. Working with Desmond every day, although very mentally and physically strenuous, totally toughened me up for the challenges I faced in the hours I wasn't being maimed by him. I really should have been doing school at night and online for my entire time here and working during the day. I wouldn't be in the poorhouse, and I would've easily pulled a 3.5, which leads me to my next point...

I really do not care even the slightest about my grades. College if you are in the field of Communications is about one thing and one thing only: Networking. The more people you know, the more you open yourself up to potential job/life opportunities. College provides a plethora of people to add to your contact list who can help you and who you can help. Those people know other people, who in turn connect you to others and so on. My problem was that there were two people during the first 90% of my college career, on-campus Ryan and off-campus Ryan, and trust me, on-campus Ryan was not the networking type. He was the "please just get me through this class without forcing me to speak to another human being" type. Until the home stretch that is. Then, a new man emerged.

One of the things that made this semester a success was the cast of characters I came to know and love. Though they all are baffled and outraged that I'm off the facebook drug, and we couldn't cement our status as friends with a f-book connection, I copped a ton of digits, which (should, at least) matter far more anyway. I don't think I laughed as much my entire time at college as I did the last couple months, because although I can find plenty of people who share my interests, finding individuals who share my humor is difficult. Normally the idea of a group project makes me shudder, but I was fortunate enough to meet people through my Team Building class that were winners. They were legitimately fun to be around, even if the class material itself was legitimately a complete and utter waste of time. I was totally swamped this semester, so I had to blend social life with work/school life which resulted in me taking my laptop everywhere and me not being completely socially awkward at school and work. My social swagger is currently at an all-time high after finally covering the school terrain, and hopefully this translates to other areas of life that require a high rating on the swag-o-meter.

Truth be told, this semester/its conclusion have far too many threads intertwined with life/life lessons for this not to be a multi-part blog. I have so many stories, both big and small to attempt to tie into this blog's material. So look for some posts in the coming days as I sort through everything that has been collecting dust in my dome since I last posted something. I depart from you with a Goodnight Moon-like take on the completion of my time at Owl-Central. It may not be good, but hopefully, like my GPA, it will be good enough to get the job done and conclude with...

Goodbye Temple, Goodbye Owl
Goodbye classes that made me scowl
Goodbye Peaks, Goodbye Valleys
Goodbye pro-abortion rallies
Goodbye Greek Life, Goodbye Frats
Goodbye wiggers in straight-brimmed hats
Goodbye lectures, Goodbye agendas
Goodbye Asian streetcar vendors
Goodbye Maxis and Temple Star
Goodbye long walks from my parked car
Goodbye friends I made in class
Goodbye gay profs equipped with sass
Goodbye Johnson and Hardwick pack
Goodbye 7-11, Goodbye Sac
Goodbye profs that kept it real
Goodbye North Philly appeal
Goodbye blackboard, you won't be missed
Goodbye things I forgot to list
Goodbye Cherry, Goodbye White
Free of you, I'll sleep tonight

BLOG LEAVE OF ABSENCE

Note to my readership (or at least what is left of the 3 of you who used to browse the page): I am taking a leave of absence until I have a Temple University Diploma in my hand. I feel like this move was unavoidable given my life's schedule in the first half of 2010.

I can't find time to write more than once every couple weeks, and when I do sit down to write, my thoughts are too scattered to form anything coherent. I was called out by a friend a month ago for "forcing material" and he was absolutely correct. In reality, I wasn't accomplishing anything by delivering half-hearted posts on an inconsistent basis. For this I apologize. You, the faithful reader, deserve to have your following efforts rewarded with something of substance. I will try to deliver that something once I have cemented my status as a college graduate.

The truth of the matter is this: Writing is all about flow. The more you do it, the better it gets. It's not because you necessarily improve gramatically or find more fascinating subject matter to deliver opinions on. It's because creativity is a mindset, and the more cosistently that state of thinking is tapped into, the easier it becomes to find a flow, and the less one is cripled by writer's block and lack of stories, and other things of that nature.

So it is with this that I will bid official farewell to the blog till I am ready to make my triumphant return to the game...see you in May!

Partay in Team Buil-ding Class (to the tune of the Miley Cyrus hit)

Tonight in in Team Building, we had a class party. There are a few questions you probably need answered after reading only one sentence of this blog entry. For starters, no, I am not in middle school, it was a college-level course that the party took place in. Also no, Team Building is not a legitimate college-level course to begin with, so in essence we can say that it actually was more of a 7th grade atmosphere than a 17th grade one (that's what grade I am now for all keeping count...at least I think) And yes, to answer your last question, it was a pretty ridiculous experience after all was said and done. Although, I should mention, it got me thinking (mostly about food-related things)...

Now that I've answered a few of your questions, maybe you can do me a solid and tend to a few inquiries of my own:

One group in my class brought in a box of soft pretzels. They were approximately 5-7 hours old. I took 2 bites, and decided it wasn't worth the time of day. Similarly, someone brought in half-day old D&D munchkins to my work yesterday for a kids birthday. I had one and turned down offers for a plethora more. (the teacher of my class is heavy-set, and is always shoveling food down the staff's throats. We're always being tempted by copious amounts of diabetic coma-inducing grub) So which is the worse food to eat when it's getting stale?

The same group that brought pretzels also brought tastykakes. I took home some leftover butterscotch krimpets and put down the standard Noah's Ark special, 2 by 2. Speaking of 2's, this question is a 2-parter. Firstly, what, if anything, gets consumed quicker than a tastykake snack? Secondly, is the butterscotch krimpet the greatest tastykake ever made? I say unequivocally yes personally.

Another group planned a team building activity for the party that involved marshmallows. Is there ever a time that marshmallows are really needed if you aren't around a campfire? People have tried to sell me on marshmallow fluff over the years, and I have never bought it. You could make the case for marshmallows in your hot chocolate, but even then is it absolutely necessary? Do mallows bring more to life than I'm giving them credit for?

...WITH ION 4!!!

So I have the winter Olympics on in the background as I'm doing some work. (Figure Skating is on, which is Mom's favorite. She lives and dies on every gravity-defying move as my Dad eagerly waits for a epic fall to occur. One of the many ways they are without question perfect for each other. High comedy.) As I'm glancing up at the tele, I see a commercial for Powerade's new calorie-free sports drink. NEW, POWERADE ZERO....WITH ION 4!!!...

Maybe I'm the one American out of millions watching who's out of the loop, but what in the sam hill is ion 4?! Am I supposed to rush to my local supermarket immediately because this stuff has ion 4 in it? I'm still not totally sure I understand what electrolytes are (or buy their importance). And gatorade has been pushing electrolytes on me for years now. I should have stopped drinking gatorade all together when they discontinued their "lemon ice" flavor, which was my go-to for years. But how many idiots out there really think that sports drinks are going to drastically improve their athletic performance? As my doctor once said, the best sports drink for you on the market has always been, and will always be, water. Plus, when's the last time you heard of evidence to prove powerade zero helps to prevent kidney stones? Case and Point.

If I want my dose of Ion 4, I'll hit the local GNC, assuming of course that ion 4 actually exists. If I want to rehydrate after a run, I'll stick with the tried and true H20.

Sharing my VD with you

Seeing as I'm not busy with any Valentine's Day activities, I may as well blog. While everyone is stuffing their faces with dinner, chocolates, and well, their significant other's face, I am single and relaxing at home. Am I lamenting the fact that I don't have a boo to snuggle up with on everyone's favorite Hallmark holiday? Certainly not, although I must say I am disappointed with my lack of prospects.

I like to look at people in the dating game like I look at sports. Their are players happily/unhappily on teams (people in relationships), their are free agents you look at and consider signing (single people), and their are prospects. In a sports organization, specifically in baseball, it's always important to have a stacked farm system, especially if you're depleted at the professional level, so at the very least you can look forward to possible future success. Having prospective courting options is no different. You want to have something going, even if it may take long to really materialize, if it does at all.

Being obligation free on VD is one thing, being prospectless is another. Ever here the expression, "there are plenty of fish in the sea"? Of course you have. What they don't tell you is that of all those fish you have to eliminate a huge percentage that have deal-breaking religious and moral views. And speaking of morals, you have to eliminate the population of fish that are humping every other aquatic creature in the body of water. Subtract from those the fish with daddy issues and the ones living in other seas you never meet, and suddenly it becomes very difficult to carp-e diem with the right fish. Plenty of fish in the sea? More like a select few surviving the cesspool.

Anyhow, I'm getting a little too analogy happy, time to wrap this piece up. I hope VD was everything you wanted and more, and thank you for letting me share mine with you.

Blogging in a Winter Wonderland

I'm pretty sure I wrote a blog called "Blogging around the Christmas tree" at one point, but that was ages ago given how infrequently I'm blogging nowadays, so I'll give myself a pass...Is there anything better than a snow day?



2010 has been the year of the blizzard. We are something like 6 inches away from the record for total snowfall in a Philly winter season. And I can honestly say that it couldn't have possibly come at a better time. I have 3 major commitments for the first half of this year, all of which are related to education. When it snows a moderate amount, it's likely I will be relieved from at least one of the day's obligations. The best is when classes are canceled at Temple. Well actually, I couldn't say that that is "the best" until today, because this is the first class in my half decade at the University that I've had off due to bad weather. Money.

At work yesterday, everyone was in a fantastic mood. It was like the entire staff at Elwyn collectively got lucky the night before, and couldn't stop smiling. All were aware of the weather forecast, and the likelihood that we'd be treating Tuesday night like a weekend night. I'm pretty sure if the storm hadn't come at all there still would only be 25% of the usual staff there. That's how locked in everyone was to a Wednesday snow day. I loved it. People should always be that excited for a snow day (at least on occasion) because it's a change of pace. People are always flying around non-stop, busy-bodying it, dreading the snow, when they just need a reason to take a wintery chill pill.

During a storm like this, it gets quieter outside. The scene is a beautiful one, at least for a time. In hours, or days, all this white turns to grey-brown slush and everyone is grumpily moving around again. So why can't people just enjoy it all while it's in a stage that is indeed, an east one to enjoy? The day that I become totally anti-snow day is day someone needs to smack the crap out of me.

My few beefs with the blizzard season so far:
1) Parking in my neighborhood has gotten progressively worse over the last 8 months and any snowfall makes the situation infinitely worse. I got home from work at 8:30 last night and had to park 4 blocks away from my house. I could only imagine how bad it would have been if I was working till midnight.
2) YOU DON'T NEED TO RUN TO A GROCERY STORE BEFORE EVERY BIG STORM!!! IT IS NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL!!!
3) Since every major network needs live coverage of the storm the entire day, I was unable to watch The Price is Right while sipping on my hot chocolate. TPIR is by far the best part of a weekday stuck in the house. Do we really need a full days worth of storm coverage on every channel? Are things going to change that much?
4) One of the Fox News reporters giving us a live update on the accumulation had on a heinous hat. It was a head-covering cross between Zorro's and a lesbian cowgirl's. Maybe this is why everyone at Temple is so adamant that you should never watch Fox News. Hah.

Okay, time to get cracking on some school work...or maybe watch reruns of The Office while getting Cocoa Round 2. Man, who doesn't love a good snow day every once and awhile?

Lulls in Blogs and Life

This blog has been far from awe-inspiring in 2010, there's just no getting around it. As I tried in vein to come up with something, nay anything, to write about, I realized where my writer's block was coming from. Life is just mediocre now, and mediocrity will never get the creative juices flowing. When things are going great, there's always a noteworthy source of merriment that seeps into my thoughts/writing. When things are totally awful, I can rant with the best of them. But when things are just so-so? Thoughts are infrequently coherent, let alone words. (Prime Example: This blog entry)

There are plenty of advantages in having a routine. I'm finding that the more I have to get done in a given day, the more constructive I become with the free time I do still have. There's one big problem though: All my inclinations to make something, to write, to play music, to have a spontaneous adventure or pull a 2-hours-of-sleep night on a weekday...they've all died with my weekly routine becoming so fundamental to my life. Sure I can get a ton of errands and chores completed outside of work and school, but when it comes to doing something crazy to really shake things up, I feel like I've been paralyzed.

Obtaining a degree and valuable work experiences are important, sure. But far more critical to my future and my sanity is figuring out a way to put bread on the table that will not hinder my ability to fully enjoy the times I'm off the grind.

There's no amount of money that's worth turning into a zombie for, and certainly no price on a loss of one's blog-making libido.