the world through new eyes

A trip home this weekend let me get something I ordered over Christmas break: new glasses.

It's different. I haven't had a new pair of glasses since high school, and those five or six years can make a big difference. Not much of change in the strength of the prescription, but enough of a change in the lenses for a very sensitive instrument, such as a pair of eyes, to tell the difference.

At least, it feels like a big difference; my eyes aren't used to the new lenses or frames. My head hurts. Granted, the coffee is keeping me awake, but that aside, I'm going to sleep well tonight.

weird

I just wrote "1-2-08" for the date.

"08" is the year I graduate college. And the fact that it's already here is scary and reassuring at the same time.

the new year | my thoughts

So this is the new year
and i don't feel any different.
The clanking of crystal;
explosions off in the distance.

So this is the new year
and I have no resolutions
for self assigned penance
for problems with easy solutions

So this is the new year.

december

Too many doctor appointments for one week. It lead me to find out that I'll probably never wear contacts. But now I have new, not-falling-apart glasses.

Too many memories from last year.
A long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last

three things, real quick

Point 1: Although I knew it two years ago, I re-discovered this fact last night: Jump, Little Children is amazing.

Point 2: I think one of my favorite things to do for any roadtrip, besides the planning, is to make the playlist/mixdisc for that trip.

Point 3: My apartment is currently filled with coffee, donut holes, and Zeppelin. It is good.

the solid state of water lets you know it's december

Stupid exam. I studied for close to most of yesterday. Why does the professor have to change the format at the last minute? Sitting there for hour taking an exam made me feel extremely unprepared. Some of the case facets that he had previously stated were multiple guess turned out to be short answer. Grrr. At least it's one more now that's over with and only one left to take.

Closing time; time for you to go out, go out into the world...

Seven hours. Seven to go. Then the trip home. It can't come too soon. I am ready. Ready to go. Ready to leave my academics behind and do things completely unrelated. Ready to get back to people playing Christmas music on the radio. Ready to eat more than Ramen.

Closing time; time for you to go back to the places you will be from...

There was ice in my parking lot this morning. I am happy.

Take me home...

[almost there]

As I log onto view my grades, i do a double take. That shouldn't be there. And it's not a morale booster to the last two exams I take tomorrow. I knew I had to look forward to certain things, but...yeah. Ouch. One more things to worry about. My consolation prize is the fact that it's finally starting to feel like December.

Yeah. I really should finish studying. Two left. That's it.

Solicitor: Deputy's death by heart attack was involuntary manslaughter

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - A Richland County deputy died of a heart attack while trying to arrest three people after a chase Friday morning.

Deputy Darral Lane, 41, died from cardiac arrest. According to the coroner, Lane had a heart attack brought on by the stress of the incident.

A manhunt for the last of three men involved in the chase, who authorities have identified as 34-year-old Matthew Denny Hooks, has been called off, since officials know the name of who they are looking for.

Sheriff Leon Lott said Deputy Lane was conducting an investigation into a suspicious vehicle that was occupied and parked behind the Pitt Stop Convenience Store at 5820 Fairfield Road.

Deputy Lane approached the vehicle and it sped out of the parking lot. A chase ensued, which ended behind a home on Burton Street.

The sheriff stated that the driver of the vehicle fled into the woods while Deputy Lane secured the two passengers.

Sheriff Lott stated that after handcuffing one of the suspects, the deputy collapsed. Lott added that Deputy Lane was transported to Palmetto Health where he was pronounced dead at 6:30 AM.

"The hardest part about this situation is the fact that we have an officer that is now deceased," said Lt. Chris Cowan. "This officer, as he stopped the vehicle, he got out of his vehicle, went to apprehend the three suspects, one of which he handcuffed. As he handcuffed the first suspect, he collapsed there on the scene and was pronounced dead this morning at approximately 6:30."

The two other men initially escaped. One of the two men who got away was taken into custody later Friday morning, around 10am. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott says no charges will be filed against those two.

Lott says deputies are still looking for the driver of the car - 34-year-old Matthew Denny Hooks, who has been charged with failure to stop for police and involuntary manslaughter.

We're told the Solicitor's office reviewed the circumstances behind the incident and concluded that Hooks' actions led to the death of the deputy.

Deputy Lane had managed to handcuff one man before he collapsed. Lott says that man tried to help Lane even though he was handcuffed.

"This is a a tragic situation for the family of the Richland County Sheriff's Department," said Lt. Cowan.

"We have an officer - one of our own - that has died. And again, this is a situation where words can't describe what we're going through, what his family is going through," Cowan continued.

Lane retired from the Army after 20 years of service and joined the sheriff's department in February, 2006, where he was assigned to the Uniform Patrol Division.

Deputy Lane leaves behind a wife, Sheila, and two sons, Darryl Jr. and Darius.

If you have any information, call 911.

Shhh!

Sitting on my couch, I wonder what the people who live above me could possibly be doing to make so much noise. It's disturbing.

Now, it's not the normal type of noises when you think of loud noises coming from neighbors in an apartment complex. No, this is more power saw, electric drill, and sledge hammer type noises. I can only think that some sort of secret command center is being built above me. I lay in my bed at night and hear these noises, sometimes wondering if in the next few minutes I might see something boring a hole in my ceiling/their floor. It's scary.

this place, right now

I got my letter back on Monday. The letter from the trip to the State Police Academy at the beginning of last month. The letter that I had been looking forward to getting for almost two weeks. I felt like a kid again. I checked the mailbox every afternoon, hoping that there would be a letter in it. And every day, there wasn’t one. Until Monday. Dear Daniel, it began. Quickly scanning it, I determined the truth: it wasn’t what I was hoping for. As number 821 out of almost 1800 applicants (roughly the 60th percentile mark), I won’t be going to stay in Hershey for 29 weeks in the near future. It was the second turn-down I’ve had on the career front thus far. And while it was disappointing, I think I got over it in about 15 minutes. More than that, it’s an opportunity to trust: accepted, that’s where God wants me; not, oh well, He’s got somewhere else for me to be. Temporariness. How much it causes faith once it's realized.

And as much as is unknown, such as job, city, residence, etc., peace is about the only word that can be properly used to describe my attitude right now. I’m really not worried. At all. I’ve got the CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION AND TRAINING STANDARDS PERSONAL HISTORY FORM from the NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE STANDARDS DIVISION in front of me now, ready for the typewriter. And the more and more I look at it, the more and more I like North Carolina. The laws, the policies, the way the departments there work.

I've got homework for the holidays. High school transcripts, college transcripts, physical exams. And from one physical, the doctor's going to be signing at least three waivers, probably more, that say I'm fit enough to participate in physical activity and physical fitness exams.

However, the fact that, as of now, I'm not going to be given a PFT in January in Pennsylvania is kinda disappointing. I was really looking forward to it.

Also, it needs to start getting cold out. Really. I don’t like this t-shirt-in-December non-sense. I really am looking forward to Jersey and NY during break.