i got my foot in the door!

So Ben sent me this and I found it too funny. I also enjoyed the Softer World comic for today. Heh.





Today was a good day I guess. I got an interview at Iowa for Dental School! I think that is exciting. I have a test Thursday that I have to study for. That isn't so exciting.

I cooked tonight too! The first time in a few weeks. It was very satisfying and relieved a lot of stress. I kind of just want to curl up and go to bed right now but I should probably study some.

Hope all is well.

making memories

I need to get into some deep stuff sometime. I can't write it here though. I just can't. I want to just spill everything out that I have been thinking about my life all at once. I know how I would do it too. There are a lot of songs that I could just take clips from and put them all together. I'd start off with two songs; one by July For Kings and the other by Cardinal Trait. They're completely opposite in the spectrum but they encompass the ideas that I am fighting between.

I honestly don't know what I want. I just want to float around for awhile but it is kind of late for that now. I have to grow up in less than a year. I guess if I go to Dental School it will prolong it awhile but that would also be making half the decision for me. I just don't know what I want to do about everything right now.

Sigh. I totally would get into it here but I don't feel comfortable. I feel like it would be rebellious. For me it might be what I need to do; I just don't know. I'll find out eventually. It is a tough decision.

Swing dancing tonight was amazing! I got to dance with some cute girls (but that is nothing new ;-P ) and I got a lot of compliments on my dancing tonight. It was the first time and like four girls in a row said that I did a great job. It made me so happy. No one really understands me but one thing that I have a huge problem with is self confidence. It took a pretty big hit last spring and it really hasn't gotten better. It was just nice to see that someone else notices when I do well.

Not many people compliment me. I've never been the most attractive person. I've never really been complimented on what I look like and who I am by females. I think I'd have to say that this is the first time that anyone genuinely said something to my face. I've heard stuff from my family but they're just being nice.

I guess all that stuff is a bonus right now. I'm happy with where I'm at in my life. I'm in no hurry to go anywhere and in no rush to push anything in any direction.

It was Ben's birthday today. He went out for a beer with some of his work friends and I joined him after swing dancing. I felt like a girl though. I ordered the Ace Pear Cider. I thought it was a beer but it was more like a wine. It was good but very girly compared to all the dark beers that the rest of the guys ordered. I am glad I got to go out. I didn't get any homework done today but I think my friends birthday is more important than homework. I don't think I would have missed it for anything except a family emergency. That is how important my friends are right now. If I had a test the next day and needed to study I still would have gone. There are some things that you just got to suck up and do for other people. I'm pretty damn sure that the memory of his birthday is way more important than the grade recieved on an assignment or test.

and did i remember to keep your beer as full as mine

Bleh. I didn't get everything I needed to get done today. The Packers lost too. That sent me back to my bed for a nap because I was frustrated. I woke up and went to the SC to get some homework done. I am not really good at doing my homework when I'm in my room. I spend too much time on the computer.

I got to eat dinner with Nanci. It was good to eat with her. I'm glad we're sharing some of the same frustrations in DFM. That class really sucks a lot. I thought it was going to be fun. It is fun at certain points. I really enjoy the lab. The rest of it is a heck of a lot of work. I'll get through it though.

Whenever we go to dinner we always get one check. It is funny because we're not dating. It has never been like that for my side between us. I love the Airliner pizza. It had been awhile since I had eaten it. After she showed me how to do the DFM homework. It still took me another hour or so to figure the darn thing out. It was really silly. I dislike the way ProE is presented in the class.

I finally got groceries tonight. I spent too much money though. I had to buy some other cleaning stuff too. When I got back I found out Aaron bought some dish detergent. Now we have two extra boxes. I guess it will last awhile now. I also bought a thing to put in my toilet. I hate cleaning the bowl. Hopefully the two dollars that the thing cost is worth it.

I'm going to cook tomorrow night at like 9:00. I'm excited! I haven't cooked real food in a long time. I made cookies last week but I gave them away. I'm making some sausage. I was kind of upset because I had to buy more food than I needed. I needed a pound of red potatoes but the were out and I had to buy a five pound bag. They're cheaper but I don't need them. Kind of a waste of food to me. Hopefully I'll be able to make something else with them.

Tomorrow I have to get some homework done in the morning when I'm at work. I also need to draw up some plays for football. Three more games left and the season is over. Kind of scary how fast it just flew by. We're 2-1 right now. Hopefully we can win our last few and send the kids off to their high school season on a positive note. Our game this week is in Cedar Rapids and next week we have one at City High. We also have a reserve game at Southeast on Monday and the regular one the following Thursday at City.

I'm going to play a few rounds in a video game and then head to bed. I haven't played in a while.

I am really sleepy. I decided to just hang out with friends tonight. Tomorrow is a huge day and I have a lot of homework to do.

The stress ends on Friday and then begins again Monday. Two days of just fun is good but it just seems like I don't get to spend enough time with my friends. I almost feel like I have too much going on with different people and I have to shaft some. I need to write a few more "Thank Yous" for things from my birthday. I got a few sent out on Friday (and delivered one in person).

Right now I am really lacking that friend that I can talk to everything about. It would be Jen but I don't like talking about certain things around her because it makes her sad. I want her to be happy so I try to avoid the topics a little unless I have to get it out. It kind of sucks and I miss being able to talk to one person about all my problems, but I think I'm better off now than I was a year ago.

I just thought of something and it made me smile.

shake it

Jarod is a happy boy tonight. I had an amazing time with Christie. It just felt really natural to be with her; from the moment I picked her up until I left. It just made me warm. I don't know what it is but seeing her tonight after not seeing her for a week was a good feeling.

We went to Steak 'n' Shake. It was funny because she was going to pay for the first time but she got on the phone and I grabbed the check and went up and paid. I also gave her a surprise. I made her Oatmeal Cookies last night and then bought her a bucket. The bucket was to represent me puking all over her place on my birthday. I felt really bad about that (and then hogging the bed). So I put the cookies, candy, and then a bottle of Smirnoff in it (she is collecting all the flavors so I got her one she didn't have).

I hope she liked it. I know it doesn't make up for my actions but it was the least I could do to let her know I'm sorry.

I got to spend some good time with her talking when we got back to her place too. I started off with a open question to see if she'd ask about my past. She knows what she needs to know for now I guess because she didn't ask about it. Afterwards I brought up "us". She answered the way I was hoping she would.

I was driving back and I decided to go to Bo James with Matt, Eric, and Dan (plus a few drumliners). It was a good decision. I'm glad I went instead of driving home. I got back a little later but the company was well worth it. I had one big beer and then just relaxed.

I need to join my teddy bears now.

Today wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I had my first test. It wasn't fun but it wasn't horrible. I was out at like 9:30 last night. I only know this because I woke up at 5:20 (two hours before I normally get up which means I went to bed two hours earlier).

I got two hours of studying in this morning though. I would have been screwed if I didn't.

My life is really stressful right now. I found a group for Senior Design; I think. We'll see if it pans out by Friday. I'll know for sure then.

The career fair is tomorrow. It should be exciting. I am going to visit a few companies that I've talk to before. We'll see how they go this time. I am very excited and nervous at the same time.

Football game tomorrow too! Host Linn Mar.

Tonight I got a lot of homework done. We did some more calculations on our Wind Turbine; then Andy and I went to Vitos and then proceeded back to work on ProE. We got a lot done.

I'm here now and I am going to head to bed soon. Tomorrow is a super duper long day. I just need to make it through without thinking about too many things. It isn't like I have to decide upon anything by the end of the day.

not a piece of cake

I have a test tomorrow. Bleh. Okay so this weekend was AWESOME. I'll start off explaining it and then I'll get into this next sucky week. I just don't really have any clue what is going on now.

Thursday was fun! The football team won the first game. I was proud of them. It was really long. We went to the wrong school because of scheduling so the team before us got delayed which in turn delayed the start of our game. We won 22-20. It was really close. I let the kids have a piece of the cake I bought them after. They were all very gracious and excited.

Thursday night was a little rough. I had a great time until the bar closed. I feel rotten for what I did to the girl I like. She didn't deserve that at all. I wish there was something I could do to make it up to her. I couldn't stop thinking about it all weekend. I hope she knows I'm sorry.

Friday we left for Pittsburgh. Got in at 4:00 AM and woke up at 7:00 AM to go tailgate. We couldn't find beer! They don't sell beer in convience stores or grocery stores there. The liquor store didn't have any either; and it wasn't open until 9:00 AM. We finally found the beer depot on the Southside. Got a case and were on our way. The game was fun except for the fact we lost. It was close but we just didn't pull through.

After the game we got tickets for the Pittsburgh Pirates game and the Lynyrd Skynyrd Concert. Both were amazing. The bars afterwards were good too.

So I probably didn't do the weekend events justice because of how late I am writing about them but it was the best birthday weekend ever. Even better than my 19th. That is saying something.

On to this week. It is really busy. I'm at this point in my life where I'm not really good at making decisions. I kind of have expectations and I want them to be met... but at the same time it is impossible for them to be met. I want to have all the things set for Senior Design but that went down the shitter today. We had a group member bail out. We have to decide on a project within a week and have three people. We're down to two with a week to go.

I also just am really frustrated with my job search. The career fair is Thursday. I really don't know what to expect. I want to get a job but I also want to go to Dental School. I got to forget about this for a week but it just came back again because of the fair. Frustrating. I'm going to try to hit up Accenture again. I messed up the first time with them last semester but I am a completely different person now. Hopefully more humble too.

The last issue I am unsure about is just something that I will have to decide. I know what I want but I'm just scared. There has been a lot of growth lately and for that I am really excited. I've been elated when it happens. I think I just need to put myself out there. I've been pretty low before but I'm a better person now because of it. I think I just need to go with my gut on this one.

I'll end with a quote. I had to go look one up because I am really struggling right now to keep it together. I wish I could talk to someone right now but I don't like bothering people. I'm going to go shower and then try to study for my test tomorrow.

Here is the quote.

There’s always a struggle, a striving for something bigger than yourself in all forms of art. And even if you didn’t achieve greatness — even if you fail, which we all must — everything you do in your work is somehow connected with your attitude toward life, your deepest secret feelings. -Rex Harrison

i am home

I made it back from Pittsburgh all in one piece. I don't really have time to write about it now because of all the things that I have to do.

I had a wonderful birthday weekend. Definitely hands down the best birthday(s) I've ever had.

More later when I actually have time.

this is the moment time is racing slowly down

I have A LOT to do tonight. I got the movie back to Blockbuster so that was good. I still have to finish our group project (we're meeting at 8:00). Then I have to pack for Pittsburgh because I will have no time to do it tomorrow. Clean up my room (the laundry is still stacked in piles on the floor), and finish a reading.

Tomorrow is super busy. Class at 8:00 until 1:30. Then I have to hustle over to Hy-Vee and pick up my birthday cake. I told the team tonight that if they rode back on the bus I'd have something special for them. I almost forgot to get the cake ordered. Frustrating was Tuesday I guess. Our game is at 5:30 so we will probably get back around 9:00. That allows me for a little bit of time to have them get a piece of cake and hustle out. Hopefully I'll be back around 9:45 so I can make it to the bar on time.

I might coach basketball now. I'm really thinking about it. I enjoy football a lot. It would take up about the same amount of time. The load is pushing it right now but after Homecoming I won't have football taking up every weekend. Only a few spread out. Then I guess basketball will start for Iowa too. Yikes. I'm leaning towards doing it right now. About 90% sure.

I need to head down to the SC now.

one long day

I kind of just want to talk to someone now. I really want to go to sleep too. I hate bothering people. Today was very very long. I enjoyed most of it but sometimes I just wish I wasn't an engineer.

I really want to write some stuff but I can't. It just isn't right. That is kind of why I want to talk to someone. I don't want to talk to anyone that is close either because I've already bothered them enough.

My laundry is still in neat little piles around my room. I'm going to leave that for tomorrow night. Once I get all my HW done tomorrow I'll be able to get to my personal chores.

"what is in the air; not a scent of a woman, but what?"

I am done with Monday. Finally. Whew. Mondays are super long for me. I start at 8:00 and am done at 8:30. I enjoy the second half though. The first half of my day is work and class. The second is work (football) and swing dancing. It is exhausting but worth it.

I halfway did my laundry. It is all in piles but I still need to put it away. Tomorrow will be sort of busy. I'm posing as a professional photographer for one of my jobs. Should be interesting!

Swing dance lessons are super duper fun. One of the girls smelled amazing tonight. I like it when girls smell nice. I rarely tell them if they do (only if I really like them or they're a good friend). It is a huge turn on; I don't know why but it just drives me wild. I'm excited for this week! My birthday and Pittsburgh!

I just have to make it through tomorrow and Wednesday and the fun begins. I'll be slaving all day again tomorrow. We're going to try to get our group project finished. We're already two hours into it and it will probably take three or four more. Bleh.

I wonder what my birthday thing is going to be like. It will be interesting to see who shows up. I like birthdays. I think that they will be happy days for me no matter how old I grow. I am beyond the point where "material gifts" will make me happy. I get one from my parents and that is enough. There are two things that I really want for my birthday. One I will mention and the other I won't (and the one I am not mentioning it isn't material or sexual).

I really want my close friends to be there Thursday. That is all that is important to me. I invited the rest of the people because they would be nice to see again. A lot of them invited me to their birthday events and I went so I think it was respectable to invite them as well. I'd be really happy if they show up, but I highly doubt a lot of them will. It is a little frustrating to learn that most people only put up with me because of who I was with. I chose not to drink before I was 21. I probably should have gone out more (and refrain from drinking) but I didn't. I'm glad because I'm in a position to follow my career, but it made me lose some respect because of the way that I went about it.

I'm going to go see what is due this week and figure everything out. Then bed. I wish I could just hop in right now.

the napkin

I am in early tonight. Went to the bar with Ben and Nanci. Nanci and I had dinner at Scummit. She wanted Calzones but they weren't serving them. I enjoyed hanging out with them! They started doing homework on a napkin in the bar. It is funny because that would have been me a year ago.

Nanci and I had a good exchange of quotes. I wrote it down on a napkin! I have been out a lot this week. I am drunk but it feels quite normal. Tomorrow will be rough.

WHEN DEE!

What a wonderful day to be a Hawkeye!

Last night wasn't awkward. I left early because I promised Dan we'd go to Taco Bell and I wanted to get back at a decent hour. We're friends with the Manger Wendy. She gave us very good service! We always yell, "WHEN-DEE!" when we're in line. She is a fun gal. Love her hair too.

I had a good time last night. It was fun to see Amy again. Her friend from Marquette was nice too; I kind of felt bad for her because she didn't really know anyone. I got to see Miles again. I feel bad for what happened to our friendship. It is my fault too. I guess it is never too late to apologize.

This morning I got drunk and went to the football game! The Hawks came out really strong but just couldn't get it in. My analysis of the game was this. Iowa's offense kept making simple mistakes that cost them field position (i.e. penalties, starring down the receiver, overthrown balls). Iowa State moved it consistently, but they just couldn't beat the Iowa zone when the area on the field got smaller. Watching the Iowa secondary is painful for me. It is the way Stormin' Norm wants to do it and I can understand that he doesn't want to give up the big play. The system works really well if executed properly. Iowa's defense has consistently proven itself under Norm Parker. Iowa State's special teams cost them the game. Flat out. Missed Field Goals and a Punt Return for a TD. They won the field position battle but just couldn't capitalize. I'm glad we beat them my Senior Year.

I took Christie a cheesecake today after the game! When we hung out Monday she told me she was going to Graze (I like their martini's) and she was looking through the menu picking out things she liked. She said, "Oreo Cheesecake! Oh; seven dollar Oreo Cheesecake and that is probably for one slice." I hadn't baked anything since school started really so I needed to do it to relieve some excess energy. I took it to her after the game. She is tired. I hope I didn't keep her from her sleep. I enjoyed seeing her though!

I'm supposed to go to dinner with Nanci. I tried calling her but I haven't heard from her. Nanci has been good to me. She really helped me through this summer. I miss talking to her. She is a busy little girl too.

items of interest

The first item that I want to write about is my weight loss. I'm really proud of what I was able to accomplish this summer. I've kind of leveled out now. My lowest has been 172. This is down from 190 something. I forget the exact value I have lost around 20 pounds though. I'm really proud of it. I found a picture of me last summer and put it next to a picture of me this fall. One year, but really I lost all the weight over the summer. I didn't start paying attention to it until I realized small changes I could make to lose weight.

The second item is a card I got my team to sign for one of my players. He broke his leg in the game the other day. I was really pleased with the kids today. Members of the other team signed the card too. I haven't gotten everyone to sign it yet, but I'll catch a few more Monday before practice. I think the kid that got injured is a wonderful person and I don't want him to get discouraged. We can't control what happens to us but we can make the best out of the situations that arise. I know that breaking his leg is a huge disappointment for a kid at this stage in his life. He'll come around. He has 19 other teammates that are behind him.

I'm ready for this evening. I'm kind of wondering what it is going to hold. I really don't want it to be awkward for Amy. If it is I'm going to be polite and tell her that I am going to head out and why. I just want her to have a good birthday. I don't think things will be awkward on my side. I just don't know how others are going to react towards me. I'm open minded and I hope that they are too. That is something that I cannot control.

I'm just looking at those pictures of me and I can't believe that is what I did. I'm sure my tan right now doesn't hurt but I'm proud of myself. Now if I want to get a six pack I just have to do abs instead. I don't think I'm going to change my diet any. I am happy with where I got my weight. Maybe I'll start exercising my stomach a bit more. It is only 10 more pounds until I'm back to where I was Junior year of High School.

keep it to yourself

Today was a decent day. I accomplished a few things.

I finally submitted my application to Dental School. The darn thing is done. I applied to Creighton, Nebraska, and Iowa. I am also thinking about Marquette. We shall see. I either have to go to a public instate school or a private school. Nebraska is an exception though. For those of you who know me well enough you understand that.

I'm feeling better about it. I just don't know what to expect. I am starting my job search too. I need to have something to fall back upon. Engineering isn't bad. I'd really like to do business consulting. I like making things but I think the social aspect of consulting would be more of my style.

We lost our second game today (8-6). I think I am more upset about the sportsmanship that my team showed than the loss. After the game the kids were getting water and they were talking to some of the other team that didn't play (because it was a reserve game), and something was mentioned about another player on the other team. I'm not going to repeat it but it was unacceptable.

I wish they would just respect others. It isn't that hard. I think an old saying applies.

If you don't have anything good to say don't say anything at all.

I am trying to decide upon my birthday event and what I want to do for it. The only thing I know I am doing has nothing to do with the bars. Right now I'm thinking I'll buy a cake for my football team since I am leaving practice early for Pittsburgh. I have to order it soon. I'll figure that one out this weekend.

Well I'm going to shower and get ready for Andy's birthday shin-dig.

picture day

I haven't done much homework tonight. I've done my reading quiz for Friday though. I need to read another article and do a summary on it for tomorrow.

I'm starting to become less confused. I met with my career adviser today. It helped get things started for me. I'm really going to have to hit that hard this weekend after the game. It just is a lot. He said I could probably have a job offer by Christmas if I work on it. That would be exciting.

The computer lab this morning was buzzing. I had someone call down that was having problems with email. I can't really help them as an ITC monitor and they got "hot" and hung up as I was about to give them the ITS Help Desk. I wanted to help them out, but I'm not the person in charge of the Exchange Server at the University.

It was picture day at practice. It went smoothly. I honestly thought it was going to take up a huge amount of time. I'm glad that it didn't. The kids were kind of lethargic today. We have a game tomorrow; hopefully what we worked on today gets fixed. We will see. It awesome how football is such a big part of my life right now. I like creating match ups and solving problems on offense and defense. There is so much strategy involved it is addicting.

I'm on a flag football team with the Drumline. It should be a lot of fun. I don't know how involved we're going to get. I guess it really depends on what the other teams do. I'd like to have a few plays to run and I think Chet has got that covered really well so far. There are three of us that played in High School. I guess I'm kind of ticked at the rules. They really prevent you from running some basic schemes on offense and defense. First game tomorrow. I just want to play hard and have fun. It is going to be really hard to avoid contact though. I'm a pretty tough competitor.

I have my Beat State shirt now! Picked one up at Hy-Vee tonight; for some reason they didn't have them at the bookstore. I got my hair cut too! Hooray.

promising to be here when the world comes down

I am thoroughly exhausted. I just want to keel over and sleep. Today was a long day. I didn't get done coaching until 8:00. I'll have to say my nap this afternoon was an accident.

Jen called me right as I got into bed. It sounds like she had a good time in LA. I'm glad to hear that. I will probably talk to her later this week. This week is really super busy for me. We have "Picture Day" tomorrow and another game on Thursday.

I also scheduled a meeting with my career adviser so I can begin a job search. That reminds me I need to print my resume. It is all shiny though. I also have my Dental School Application finished. Just have to pay the man now.

The game tonight was good and bad. The kids just gave up a few big plays and that was the difference in the game (we lost 22-12). Other than those three plays the defense was good, and the offense was much more consistent than I anticipated. I have a laundry list of things that we need to work on. I'm going to highlight the positive things too. I think that is important. We could have won the game tonight.

One thing that kind of upset me was coach was trying to shuffle kids in at the last minute that didn't get in. I don't think it is appropriate. We have another game on Thursday that they will play in. For the kids they just get to go in and stand there while the other team takes a knee. I don't think it makes them feel any better. Maybe it does. I just assume play them the whole game Thursday and tell them that they can show us something if they want to get in the next game.

I made some mistakes today too. One kid got injured and wasn't sure if he was ready to play. I told him if he was injured to sit down. The other coach wasn't pleased because we don't want to be teaching kids to be injured. That is fine and I respect that. I apologized to him after the game. Personally I don't think an injured kid should play. The kid was fine and got back in after walking it off. I overreacted. I guess if the kid is really hurt he will be on the ground. I'm still learning just like the kids are. I think that is a wonderful thing.

I am having Diet Mountain Dew and Chips for dinner. Not so healthy but it is around nine and I am not cooking. I have some stuff to get done for tomorrow.

one down five to go (for a perfect week)

My long fun day has come to an end. At work I had a good time. I was able to answer the simple questions that people presented to me. I dislike when printer problems occur. I don't have permission to cancel printer jobs, and I have to call in to reimburse people. Luckily nothing too dramatic happened this morning. I like that job. I get my homework done.

Monday's are packed with class for me. Four in a row. I made it through them today. I really enjoyed PASPA today. I answered a few questions and I kind of felt like a big deal. Actually it was kind of just one of those kinds of things that is a coincidence. I just happened to have the random tidbits of knowledge that were required to answer the questions.

Design for Manufacturing was funny too. We got to watch some videos on the fabrication of certain materials. The videos were just funny. I didn't really think I'd appreciate Biomaterials, but some of Dr. Park's quotes are hilarious. We are visiting necking; "What is necking? No it is not between a man and a woman." Also he believes he is tougher than people because he is more compact. Dr. Thomas had a good quote the other day too, "We want our shafts to be hard. (Pause) That didn't come out the way it was supposed to."

Senior Design today was amazing too. We got to listen to a U.S. Patent person talk. Some of the designs that he showed were funny. Also some of the examples that he used to illustrate points were great. One was for an "off-shore drilling anchor." I forget the exact patent idea but it was something so generic that a pillar could be included in the description of the anchor.

Football practice today was interesting. We have our first game tomorrow. That means the season is going to be in full swing. Today involved a lot of teaching. I just hope when we go to Kick-Off we have eleven guys on the field. I think we got them set straight on that. We shall see.

So one of the things that would make my week good happened today. Packers victory! I didn't get to watch too much of the game because of Swing Dancing, but I got to see the first touchdown of the season. I liked summer swing dancing better. There were fewer people. The room was really crowded tonight and I kept bumping into other people. Maybe it will thin out. It is fun and I get to meet a lot of different varieties of people. I hope I didn't stink tonight. I came directly from coaching.

I need to head to bed now. I have an 8:05. Tomorrow I get to buy a Beat State shirt. Go Hawks!

giving of the business

So maybe ISU will come out in their 1977 jerseys this weekend. Ben sent me a link to the photo. Heh. The Iowa player is "giving the business" to the Iowa State kicker. I can't believe they used to use pads for kicking field goals in college. That is a story for another night.

Iowa State does some tacky stuff. The "Cyclone State" billboard. These jerseys. Only selling Iowa vs. Iowa State tickets with season tickets.



Ben also sent me this:

this is your song your greatest mistake

Today was relaxing. I needed it to. Sometimes I just worry too much about the future. This week is going to be super busy. I went to dinner with Ben tonight. It was good to talk about some football and catch up on things a little. I invited Matt and Eric too but they were just going to grill burgers.

I know Matt mentioned something about it earlier but he didn't call or anything. I would have loved to go over there this afternoon and then have dinner and watch tonight's game with them. I just didn't want to be sitting around here all day so I asked Ben if he wanted to get food. It worked out okay.

This week should be fun. Packers/Swing Dancing tomorrow; first Junior High game Tuesday. Wednesday is free. Second game Thursday. Friday is kind of up in the air right now. I'm going to stop by Amy's gathering for a bit but don't know how long I'll be able to stay. Hopefully the whole time but I can't really control how other people will react towards me. Again not something I'm going to worry about because I can't control it. I think it would be kind of sad if anyone took sides (either side that is). I'm happy with the direction my life is heading right now (except for I'm really confused about what the hell I want to do when I finish this year).

So a perfect week for me would be Packers victory, a great effort out of my kids (win or lose I just want them to do their best), finish my homework, have a good time seeing old friends Friday, and an Iowa victory in Volleyball and Football. Oh, and it would be nice to sort out some of the things I have going on in search of my life for next year. I don't think that is something I'll decide over night. It is just overwhelming to be applying to schools and starting a job search. I don't even know which I want to do.

I also have to figure out if I want to do a birthday gathering. I am unsure of which day to do it. We leave for Pittsburgh on my birthday so it is either the 18th or sometime the week afterwards. I'm leaning towards the 18th right now. Not sure yet though. I have a few more days to decide.

I was deeply in thought about my twenty second today. It doesn't seem to phase me. A lot of my friends that have turned twenty two have said they feel old. I don't have this feeling. I don't feel like I am any older than I was last year. I don't know why people have such a resentful feeling about getting older. I definitely don't. I'm really comfortable with it at this point; it is just a number.

the udder u

I feel like throw up right now. I'm not going to though. Stadium Clean-up. in a few hours. It is ridiculous how I drive there. I'm drinking some water right now. Probably a good thing.

I confused myself even more so tonight. Whoops. Oh well. Someone has to step up to the plate eventually. That part is out of my control. I guess we shall see what happens.

I am going to strip down and get in bed soon. I know what I want at this point. I guess we'll have to see what happens. I can't really worry about things that are not in my control. I've learned that one the hard way.

I guess it is Sunday and that means it is Beat State Week! The only thing that I ask is that we whoop them this year. I don't think I could really ask for anything more. Blackout Sunday. We better roll up the score on them too. Ferentz is too good to let them roll us up. We're not the ones copying the USC uniforms or making the ISU/Iowa game require season tickets. We're better than that. We can sell the single game tickets for the game; they can't. Besides they believe changing their uniform every year will make them a great team. Ever heard of tradition?

We better take down "The Udder U".

hazy

Jarod is confused. The situation I'm in isn't a bad thing at all, but sometimes I just don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do. I guess I'll just wing it and see how things go. I'm talking to Benji and Matty about it right now. I guess I'll pass on getting into it here for now.

someone to open each and every door

Friday! Well it is almost over now. I am going to head to bed soon I think. Gameday tomorrow! I have a lot to choose from tomorrow to do. The game for sure. I don't know what else I'll pick. I think Sunday I'm going to hang out with Matt and Eric for the first day of the NFL. Packers play MNF. Hooray. Okay well kind of. Swing Dance lessons start again so I'll be missing the first half or so I think.

Practice today was pretty good. I thought there was good effort on defense, but the kids just couldn't remember what the heck to do on two or three plays. They have the formations and what the play is down on most. Promising. I subbed in the guys that are supposed to be paying attention in the back for some repetitions. They had no clue what the heck was going on. I yelled at them. There were two that got an earful from me. The kids needed it today. We have a game on Tuesday.

I made them run a lot too. We had good focus on the last two days so they didn't have to run at all. Today was a different story. I started them doing ladders. One group. I think we ended up going about 40 yards or so. I was going to make them go to 50 but they were getting what they needed out of it. On the way back I cut down halfway and said if they ran good ones they'd be done. Of course they were all done. I gave them a lecture about how they should run like they did on the last two all the time and not wait until I say these are the last ones if they're good.

One of the kids left his locker open after practice. Granted he was the last one out of the locker room (and no one would be able to take his stuff) he is going to learn his lesson come Monday. I took his helmet and practice pants out of his locker and put them in the office in my locker. If some other kid got in there he'd be out quite a bit of money. He'll be doing 40 push ups to get his gear back. The standard 20 for each item.

I did laundry tonight too. I washed my bedding. Now that it isn't 90 degrees out I won't be sweating at night. I like the cool nights. I HATE being warm when I sleep. I like waking up and having that crisp cold feeling. I ordered pizza too. That should be my lunch and dinner for awhile. That way I don't have to cook.

This evening really reminded me of high school. Football, then going home (just my parent's house), and ordering pizza and just relaxing. I'm glad my parents are moving.

and you smell like how angels outta smell

So tonight the goodnight kiss had passion. It made me all tingly inside. I would liken it to being nervous and excited at the same time, but it really isn't just both of those combined. There is something more to it but I just can't explain it.

She looked really nice too. I should have told her that she did. I didn't want to be too strong though. I like how we can just talk. It is just amazing. It doesn't hurt that she is adorable either. I am excited! So far she has been worth the wait, and this time when I dropped her off she suggested they'll be a next time. :-D. I'm such a little kid right now.

I don't know why I'm listening to Dashboard right now. It is completely opposite of how I feel. I guess on my iPod today came up "Again I Go Unnoticed" in which they state "another goodnight kiss robbed of all its passion." Well tonight's goodnight kiss had passion. I should be listening to something happy right now. Maybe the song that reminds me of her.

I don't think I mentioned it because I didn't want her to find out, but a week ago I sent her a CD with one track on it. The song reminds me of how I feel when I am with her; so I wrote on it "this song reminds me of you" and placed it in the mail. She said she liked it when I took her flowers.

I'm happy right now.

hump day

Nothing really exciting happened today. I filled out some paperwork for Workforce Development to collect my unpaid wages. He owes me a good enough amount. Whatever the government can take care of him now. I really am not that threatening to him anymore since I finished working for him. The government is scary.

I'm happy with the progress the kids are making. I really like how the stalk blocking is coming along. They're getting better. Catching not so much. Everything is progressing well for our first game on Tuesday. It is coming up. Three more practices and we lace them up.

Tomorrow is Thursday! Hooray for short weeks. I really thought I had more to write. Three classes tomorrow. The first one I dislike, and the last two will be fun. Geography of Health is just long and kind of dry. We haven't really gotten into much of the health part of it; maybe once we stop learning about how to make the maps it will be better because we will be able to analyze them.

coach johnson is old (and slow)

It is supposed to rain tomorrow. I hope it kind of holds off. We made a lot of progress at football today. The kids had an upbeat attitude. I kind of didn't really get to do as much coaching today. I think I'll just work more with the receivers and defense when we go to team offense. I ran with the kids in conditioning today... kind of.

I got put on the spot. I started at mid-field and had to backpedal while the other kids ran towards me. If they beat me conditioning was over. They didn't the first time, and I moved to the hash mark. One kid caught me at the end, but the rest quit running so they had to do it again. The next time he didn't catch me, and they had to do it one more time. It was kind of fun. I was called, "old." Heh.

I got my DFM homework done. That was frustrating. We were expected to do a lot with little information. I wasn't about to sit there and get the dimensions of a solar bike. Not going to waste my time on that for a 50 pt assignment.

Christie and I were supposed to hang out tonight. She had car parking issues at her place. So we are going to go to dinner Thursday. I would have liked to have seen her but sometimes things come up that are more important. I think that is fine. I'm happy that we get to go to dinner Thursday. I'm really excited for it. I'll probably get to see her for a little more anyways since we both would have had to get up early. I hope she isn't worried about the whole situation. She should know by now I'm interested, and that a simple car issue isn't going to get in the way.

Oh and I put a background on my phone. It is fun. It is of two bears. I love bears. A mom and her cub are in the photo.

twenty two

This past weekend was great. I got to hang out with a lot of my friends. My phone wasn't working with my computer today. I had to run into the store. I filled up on gas and took back the pop bottles today too. The hurricane could make prices go up for a bit. The car only needed $22 though. I guess I might have saved a few dollars, but every bit counts.

My phone just needed to have a "hard reset". It erases all the contacts so it was a good thing I went in. I'm starting to get a few back since my phone died a few weeks ago. I don't think I'll bother anyone about it.

This evening Ben, Matt, Eric, and myself went to dinner. I hadn't been to Sam's but I heard it was good. We went there and watched some of the UCLA/Tennessee game. It was a good time. When I got back I did some reading but kind of feel asleep and wasted about an hour. Oh well. I called Christie too; we got to talk for a bit. I enjoyed it. I'm going to head out here and try to get a little more done before I go to bed. I have an 8:05 tomorrow morning. Geography of Health baby. Then my "Happy Class" with all the football players. You know you're in the right spot when you have a large number of athletes in your class.

cover two

I am exhausted. I got 4 hours of sleep the last two nights. I didn't take a nap today either. Today was my mom's birthday. After stadium clean-up I made her a cake. She liked it!

I went to lunch with Jen and her dad. It was fun! Her dad liked how I am the "instigator". It is pretty funny how much crap I give Jen though. It is best if I don't get into it here because it is Jen's life not mine. Heh; it is pretty funny though.

Tonight I went over to Matt and Eric's place. We were going to go to a movie, but then we decided to rent one. We had it down to "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood." We rented "There Will Be Blood"; let's just say it was a little to deep for me. I think I missed quite a bit. It probably didn't help that I was exhausted.

I don't think my eyes can take looking at the computer screen anymore. Happy September! That means my birthday is coming up soon!