The Road to Mordor

Even though today was an incredible day, it did not start off that way. It did not start off bad but it was nothing to write home about...

I started off the morning like many I have had recently...I really think I should run but I end up just sitting around. Today I didn't totally sit around though. I worked on my spanish using the Fluenz program that I purchased during the summer. I learned things like "Yo quiero este plato y una cerveza." Don't know what I just said? Look it up, it'll be good for you! While I was working on my linguistic abilities, I also did my first load of laundry in the new apartments which turned out to be an adventure itself.

After a morning of a little spanish learning and a lot of wasting time, I got my books together and headed out. I stopped at the bank first to deposit my first HyVee paycheck and then I drove off to school. Finance class was nothing special. In fact, I was quite bored. A lot of it was stuff that I covered the first time I took Finance before dropping it after about a month. I plan on studying a lot harder now that I'm out of class but I just couldn't bring myself to do it while in class today.

After class, I met Cody at Tut Hill for a round of disc golf. I got to the course a little early so I decided to work on my Turbo Putting. Turbo Putting is a style of putting the closely resembles shooting a free throw in basketball. The motion is almost exactly the same. The thirty minutes of practice definitely helped my round. I had a decent game and shot +1 over eighteen holes. Cody shot a +3 and wanted an instant rematch. It was pretty early still so I decided to give it a go. He changed into shorts (he still had jeans on from work), I grabbed a new score card, and we headed back out onto the course.

The second round started like we had never stopped. The Lincoln High School Band even started practicing for their homecoming game so we had pep band music playing in the distance to make the round that much more intense. I was -3 after five holes and rolling. Cody as +2 over and I was feeling good. But then it all started to go down hill...literally. The sixth hole is down a large hill that drops a couple hundred feet and he got an eagle on the hole...I shot a bogey. He was coming back fast. Over the next couple holes, he consistently shot one throw less then me and before I knew it, I was 3 shots back. I stayed even with him over fifteen through seventeen and even picked up a stroke on the last hole but it wasn't enough. He beat me by two strokes.

The day is finishing up as it started...I'm not doing a whole lot. I will probably try to do a little Calculus homework before I go to bed but after a few mixed drinks, I don't know how much I'm actually going to want to do.

For the Soul

As one who recently acquired the ability to lie around and rot my brain while watching more basketball than any on man should, I have started to get caught up on all the new commercials I have been missing the last few years. One commercial that seems to be working, at least on me, is the Corona Light commercial which has a group of twenty-somethings partying on a beach. The sun sets on the party so they pack up their stuff and move to the other side of what turns out to be an island and continue the party as the sun rises. No, the commercial isn't anything out of the ordinary but it is the song selection that got me.

The song they chose to use was Hey You (I Love You) by Michael Franti & Spearhead. It didn't take many times of seeing the commercial and hearing this song before it became locked in my subconscious to the point where I no longer needed my iPod. (See, it supports lack of materialism!) It is a very catchy song, much like California Gurls by Katy Perry except I don't feel like such a sissy for listening to this song. I ended up buying the whole album (All Rebel Rockers) last night and have listened to it almost non stop since and I have to say, I have found a new artist to add to my "always in the mood for" playlist. The previous playlist included only two artists, John Mayer and Jack Johnson. They are two very different artists but both of them have a sound and lyric to their music that always rings true with my soul.

Michael Franti & Spearhead have now joined that shortlist and I'm glad they have. They too have a sound that has a vibe about it which feels right and the lyric used is one I relate to. I find their style of reggae both relaxing and upbeat at the same time. Coupled with messages brought to life in the music of peace, standing up for the down trodden, and being someone that makes a difference and I just want to dance while I listen! But mostly, I'm attracted to the idea of love towards the world and its people the album is saturated with. Love is something I think almost everyone will agree the world could use a little more of. I am tempted to go out and start collecting all the Michael Franti albums I can get my hands on. If you are into a rock reggae sound at all and enjoy listening to music that pushes a social justice message, I would recommend looking into All Rebel Rockers by Michael Franti & Spearhead.

You don't have stamps? But...

The arrival of school each semester is always an exciting time for me. Not because I thoroughly enjoy sitting in Stats class but instead because it means I will receive a handful of packages. I find the feeling of receiving and tearing open a package similar to how I feel during the Christmas season...I know exactly what I'm getting and yet the fact that someone is going to make me work for it makes it special. Maybe that's what Christmas is really about, teaching people they have to work for what they want. But I digress...

Once again, I found myself at the post office in a very cheery mood. Who isn't cheery when Christmas is near? I had to mail off some forms to USD that I apparently forgot to fill out before starting school and they were starting to get anxious so I figured I would just buy some stamps and mail them off while I was here. No point in making another trip. So I said hello to my friend (I have been there enough the past few weeks we can actually hold decent conversation), she asked if I had another package to which I laughed and sarcastically replied that it should be the last one (because no one wants to receive their last package), and put my letters down on the counter. This is where things started to get frustrating.

She suddenly stopped laughing at my joke and got a very serious look on her face. "We can't take those." "Why not?" "Well, they don't have stamps on them." I looked at her kind of funny. You know, the kind of look you give someone when they state something that is terribly obvious? Yep, that's the one. "Can...I...buy some stamps?" "Sorry, we don't sell stamps." I gave her another funny look. This time though, it was one of joking disbelief because seriously, what kind of post office doesn't sell stamps. She seemed to read my look because she followed with "Seriously, we don't sell any stamps. If you would like to buy some, you can go to any HyVee or Lewis Drug. If you bring your letters back with stamps on them though, I'd be happy to mail them for you!" She said that last sentence really excitedly like she had just opened my eyes to something that I didn't know. Either that or she was hoping to get great customer service points if her boss called and interrogated me about how I was treated. Either way, I just stood there trying to let the last few minutes sink in but for some reason, it wasn't working. I picked up my package from the counter and thanked her for it. "Have a great rest of week! Hope to see you again!" All I could bring myself to do was one of those of half waves and mutter "you too" as I walked out.

A few hours later I'm still trying to wrap my head around this event that took place. What kind of post office doesn't sell stamps? Seriously!