Yeah. It's that time of year again. Advisement.

I hate going into the room with a sense of discouragement; the feeling that the person who's telling me what decisions should be made doesn't know the slightest bit of what they're talking about.

I've got a prep sheet that should help, but, ever since my first advisement session, I've dreaded this day every semester.

each man must realize
that it can all disappear very
quickly:
the cat, the woman, the job,
the front tire,
the bed, the walls, the
room; all our necessities
including love,
rest on foundations of sand -
and any given cause,
no matter how unrelated:
the death of a boy in Hong Kong
or a blizzard in Omaha ...
can serve as your undoing.
all your chinaware crashing to the
kitchen floor, your girl will enter
and you'll be standing, drunk,
in the center of it and she'll ask:
my god, what's the matter?
and you'll answer: I don't know,
I don't know ...

What possessed me to volunteer to work morning shift after evening shift?

career fair

Rain. It's a good thing. It waters the earth, cleans the air, and it just fun in general to be outside during. There's only one problem with it.

I had to drive.

As funny as it sounds, my car limits my mobility. Not over long distances, of course. But like any metropolitan area, leaving my car at home and riding my bike around any place in the metro area largely improves my overall mobility. I don’t have to worry about parking. I don’t have to worry about traffic jams. I can take short cuts between buildings. Plus, it’s just nice being outside.

So when I got up this morning, and saw it raining outside, conflicting thoughts ran through my head. And the fact that I was almost late for my morning class, despite waking up on time, is telling.

But the highlight of the day was by far the career fair. True, initially, I had no idea what I was going to say when I walked up to the booth I was wanting to see, but after visiting a few other booths prior to the one I wanted, I managed to work out all of the kinks to any verbal stumblings I could have encountered.

Talking with the recruiter today was really exciting. I checked out the SC Department of Public Safety, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Myrtle Beach Police, but the one that really stood out is the one that I was hoping would. The presentation was solid; the recruiter was exceptional, and every question I asked, she had a complete answer for. The opportunities, training, and benefits for an entry level position exceed most other local law enforcement agencies, which really make me excited.

meetings galore

I had a meeting with my friends in the bursar's office today. And by meeting, I mean that I paid them money.

It's not so bad now; now that I've gotten to understand the ins and outs and the countless amounts of forms that must be filled out. It's bureaucracy, and I've come to expect it; it's not going away, that's for sure.

And tomorrow is my meeting with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. I don't really know what I'm going to do, except walk up to the representatives, smile, and say: "Hi, will you hire me?"

abuse

Being controlled by something is not on the top of my list of things I enjoy. To that point, I go to great lengths to make sure that things in my life have no control over me. And of the things that do have an overbearing arm in my life, the list is kept as short as possible. It really hurts to see people controlled by something. Be it a person or a thing, it's normally not a pretty sight.

police chase

one thing i hate

If you converse with me long enough, you'll eventually figure things that I tend to like. However, one of the more obvious things you'll find is that I don't like television.

I find it pointless. The epitome of the American culture. Entertainment gluttony. And the remote control just furthers the laziness that people put towards the tube.

I went grocery shopping tonight, and the infatuation with the farce that television has become just overcame me in the checkout. No fewer than six publications were dedicated to television programming, and every other publication at the checkout stand was discussing the people who perform the skits in front of cameras.

Please, tell me, when we will get back to reality?

I sit in my chair in my room and stare around me. The mess that needs to be cleaned. The paper that needs to be finished.

Well, I guess I should start somewhere.

rest

10 AM. Tom and Ray Magliozzi, in their cheerful sort of way, played on the radio, waking me from my sleep. I hit the snooze button, rolled over, and feel back to sleep. I haven't been able to do that in a while. Working the morning shift and getting off at 3:30p is nice, but I really do like delaying my preparations for work until 1:30p

Thirteen hours later, I was driving back from work. I pulled to the side of the road to fix my headlight, and stepped into the outside. Aside from my engine, it was completely quiet, and, aside from my headlight, there was no terrestrial illumination.

I treasure the peace and quiet of moments like that.

After some time under the hood and a trip to several mechanics, I discovered several things:

The good: I can drive my car safely

The bad: I still will have to have major work done to the car

The ugly: The work will cost in excess of $500

Cooper '07

Old shoes were pulled out of the closet tonight. I went running for the first time in the new year. February. Already. This year has gone by too fast.

54 days to go until the Cooper River Bridge run. So, I went running tonight. I only ran a mile and half, not wanting to hurt my toe any more, but it still felt great to hit the tarmac for the first time in a month.