Almost there...

Except for a couch, a desk, and a dresser, I have moved all of my earthly belongings into my new residence.

Thanks to Michael for the huge hand he provided to me. But this was not a time of only moving. We also made some important discoveries. We found out that cookies are good-especially when you eat the entire bag. We also discovered that you can fit unbelievable amounts of material inside a regular sedan.

Good bye, Blossom Street. Nice to know you.

Maybe it's just the way I am, but I really want to move. Some place different. The list is growing everyday. Charlotte, NC. New Jersey. Anchorage, AK. Los Angeles, CA. Monroe County, FL. Washington, DC. Honolulu, HI.

And I wanted to share that.

America's Star

I walked by myself today. On the way out to the car, there I was. Five years ago. I passed myself, and continued walking. I stared at myself, struck by the similarities, yet, also the differences.

I'm sure the teenager who walked by me on his way to the high school around the corner from my house had no idea that he reminded me of myself. That gait, that look, that way me carried his bag the way I used to. Myself five years ago-as a junior in high school.

I wanted to tell me what to do, what not to do, what to say, what not to say, but then I realize that me won't turn out as I have. All the mistakes (and there's more than I can remember) I've made and all the places I've screwed up. Yet, I'm here. I walked into a building today, the inside of which few people in their lives will ever see. That's where I've come. And I don't know where I'm going.

But seeing me today in front of the house reminded I of one thing: I'm glad the Navigator is plotting my course.

Today was my first day at my internship. Aside from meeting a lot of people's whose names I forgot fairly quickly, I sorted things all day. I did get to ride around for a little bit, and that was fun. I'm thankful for it

But I'm still trying to figure out this whirlwind of a weekend.

I walk in Friday, and that person who's played a substantial part of my development over the past two years is gone. L-T told me that that person wasn't to come here anymore, and that I was to quash any rumors. Rumors of what? He didn't tell me the truth to quash the rumors with.

I find it somewhat humorous when people try to lure me to opportunities and positions based on the amount of money they can give me. Apparently, these people don't know me as well as they think they do.

The absence of an internet connection at my home surprisingly hasn't fazed me. That makes me glad.

What has happened is that other people have gotten more upset that I can't respond to emails quicker than once a day.

Oh well.

aftermath

There were several things I realized (and re-realized) on the trip this weekend:

1. People who live in the north seem to know how to drive. I think people in the south watch NASCAR too much.
2. I really like the new Relient K album. That, Bright Eyes, and Counting Crows were the majority of my trip's soundtrack.
3. I need to visit my relatives more often.
4. I love Maryland House. End of story.
5. Wawa is a necessary stop. They should open one near my house.
6. There needs to be more Dunkin' Donuts in SC.
7. Forgetting the cellphone charger and cellphone=ok. Forgetting only the cellphone charger=not ok. Forgetting the iPod cable too didn't make it better.
8. Charlie the Unicorn is stuck in my head, for better or for worse.
9. "Restricted parking zones" blocked off with cones can be parked in.
10. There needs to be more people who like to play frisbee.
11. I need to travel more often. Money is no objection.

raining in Philadelphia

Several hundred miles later, I'm sitting here at my uncle's house outside of Philadelphia. Raining.

David and I left Columbia around 4:15a. The set-up wasn't too bad. With my mom's van, and the back seat taken down, we had a decent bed in the back of the van. Since David got "crunked," he drove first, and I took a nap in the back .

With as many bad wrecks as I've seen from driver fatigue, I was glad when David woke me up around 5:45a and told me he was tired. We pulled into a gas station, quickly switched positions, and continued on our way.

Aside from the quick caffination stop in North Carolina, the ride to Richmond was fairly uneventful. After we passed through Richmond, David woke up and wanted to know when we were eating. That led to the stop at Wawa.

From there, the only big part of the trip up was the stop at my favorite place on I-95: Maryland House!

And now we're here.

I love it up here.

i got THE phone call today

and yet again, i'm struck by the lack of permance

My roommate walked into my room and handed me five pieces of paper. Five pieces of fabric-based, green-colored paper with a dead persons picture on them.

People attribute value to these objects.

I can understand the arguments for a social-economical barter-exchange system. I accept that money will always exist.

The disturbing part is that people devote their entire lives to the quest of having more economic capital than other people. They devote themselves to having things, possessions, objects.

"You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet."

It's all going to burn in the end. So why bother and try to hoard it?

What happens when sleep is deprived:

I found this article online earlier today. And because many of my friends decide to test human endurance, I thought it was very applicable.

Why do we sleep? One way to study the need for sleep is to look at the effects of total sleep deprivation. It has been known for a long time that sleep has a detrimental effect; something used to good effect by the military for generations. The ancient Romans, for example, used tormentum vigilae (waking torture) to extract information from their enemies.

The effects of sleep deprivation over time are:

Night 1. Most people are capable of going without sleep for a night. The experience is tolerable but usually uncomfortable.

Night 2. The urge to sleep is much stronger, particularly between 3-5 a.m., when the body temperature is at its lowest.

Night 3. Tasks requiring sustained attention and mental calculations become seriously impaired. This is particularly the case if the task is repetitious and boring. Again, the early hours are the most crucial to needing sleep.

Night 4. From this night onwards, periods of micro-sleep occur. People stop what they are doing and stare into space for up to three seconds. The end of micro-sleep is accompanied by a return to full awareness. Confusion, irritability, misperception and the 'hat phenomenon' occur [a tightening around the head is felt as though a hat too small for the head is being worn].

Night 5. On top of the effects previously mentioned, delusions [false beliefs] may be experienced. Intellectual and problem-solving abilities are largely unimpaired.

Night 6. Symptoms of depersonalization occur and a clear sense of identity is lost. This is called sleep deprivation psychosis. Adapted from Huber-Weidman, 1976.

The effects of sleep deprivation are more psychological than physical. Reflexes are impaired but heart rate, respiration, blood pressure and body temperature show very little change. The main physical consequences seem to be hand tremors, droopy eyelids, problems in focusing the eyes and a heightened sensitivity to pain.

Interestingly, we seem able to catch up with sleep in a much shorter time than was lost through deprivation. A person who loses three nights of sleep might only need a slighted extended sleep in order to feel fully refreshed.