04.08.02: Combos Don't Go Bad! I am, contrary to popular belief, and to what my body has been telling me all day long, very much alive. I know the frequency of news posts has suggested otherwise. The last few weeks have been full of hectic hustle-bustle, various shinanegans, and more than a little tomfoolery. Add a dash of drama, and you've got the idea. The tin-can thing from previous posts still applies, but I guess in a different sort of way. It's been none too easy up here some days, and other days are just plain difficult. I won't lie to my readers: the past weeks have brought days where I would have much preferred punching my own self in the face to the normal daily hubbub. I suppose that's fate's way of punishing me for having a good Spring Break. The good news is that life continues and dinner is soon. (Take that however you like.) Tomorrow, I and two other guys are presenting a synopsis of the Russian language to our Languages of the World class, whereupon we will squish countless centuries of developments into the time-span of a sitcom, minus commercials. Fortunately, two of us are second-year students of that particular language. Even more fortunately, I am one of them. I am hairy, groggy, and hungry. Is this an appropriate time to mention that? I'm not sure. But somehow, it relates to the next paragraph, and if you are unsatisfied with this transition, I will permit and even suggest that you pretend that there is one more pertinent in its stead. I've got nigh-on 1.3 bazillion pictures to upload and post. I'm working on it--it takes up a lot of Angelfire space, so I'm still trying to figure out what to do about that. I still haven't done the rest of the Spring Break pictures, but rest assured, they will come one day, oh yes. Spent the weekend in Winston-Salem again. On the drive back, I didn't even have directions. I approximated my position by various constellations. Okay, no I didn't. But at least I found my way back this time without getting lost in my own town. I got to spend some time with mom and give her the birthday present which Dana and I constructed. I've got a picture of the finished product, but it's hard to make out what it is. I made a couple of decisions this weekend. The first was on I-85, where I decided at a good 70 or 75 mph that I was rapidly (no pun intended) falling in love with Gwen Stefani. I had bought the new No Doubt album at the beginning of the trip at good old Wal-Mart, randomly. I needed something to listen to, so I thought, heck, why not this? I am not known to extend that sort of affection to someone due only to their voice, but in this case I'll make an exception. The second decision was that I am going to start writing again. I wanted to have my new work finished in May, but it's not going to happen. But I am going to get back onto it, even if I can't do it until Summer. We'll see happens. But the need is there--I have got to do this thing, and who knows why I just stopped completely. I have been living in a gray, uncreative haze for some time now, and I need to resurrect that Stub. So, there. And then I arrived in North Carolina. So yes, it was a busy but good weekend. I got to spend time with Mom and Elaine, meet her friends Pete and Gretchen, and re-meet Heather (after what? A good 8 or 9 years?), her roommate Sam, who, despite what impression you may get from reading her name, is a girl. How cool is that? Stay tuned. -stub out-