What's Going On...

August 19, 2007

I know... it's been a waaay long time since I wrote.  Honestly, I've been considering what exactly to do with this site, and I think I've come to the conclusion that (other than a few asthetic changes), I'll keep it as it is.  Which means more posts, more frequently... I think.  In the meantime...

Austin is AWESOME!!!  I love this place.  I can't think of a single place I've been in my life where I felt so comfortable and "right" than Austin.  The people here are incredibly friendly... (Seriously, I can't remember receiving customer service this good since... ever.) everyone invites you to everything (I've been to more parties here already than I did total in Houston...ok, well maybe that's an exaggeration, but it's close) and there's so much to do.  Did I mention the people are incredibly friendly?  Yay for hippies.

On a more sobering note, I was flipping through a directory for the UTexas law school and noticed that there are 4 incoming black males to the law school this year.  Out of roughtly 450.  That is... wow.  

 Other than that, life is good.  I've got one more completely free week before the grind begins so I plan to use it well.  Stay tuned for more posts and if you're reading this... well... thanks.

May 28, 2007

I mentioned in my last entry that I was beginning a "lifestyle-changing" diet. Believe it or not, it's turned out to be a great thing. I've lost about 15 pounds of fat and added about 5 pounds of muscle. Suffice it to say, I'm very happy with the new look. I started at 190 and my goal is to get down to 165 (it's my ideal soccer-playing weight) so I've got all summer to lose 10 pounds. Normally this would be a challenge with all of the eating-out and lounging of summer, but I'm teaching summer school for the month of June, so I don't think it'll be too difficult.

More importantly, I feel like my discipline has increased ten-fold. Teaching helped a lot, but personally, I find that if I'm working out everyday, then every other aspect of my life is better. I read more, I work harder, I'm in a better mood... it's a big, big thing that MUST continue throughout law school. The best part is that unlike in the past, I actually like working out now. I don't know why it's different now, but in the past 3 miles seemed like a really really long run... now, it's just half of a good workout. Oh yeah, it also helps to have a badass partner to workout with you. Thanks ;-)

There's a part of me that is very excited about the move to Austin. I've already got my apartment and I'll begin moving on July 8th and continue through the month of July. I'll have about 6 weeks to get comfortable in my new city and that's cool. The more I hear about Texas law school, the more I am certain it was the right choice. (And if you're curious... if I had to guess where I will be 5 years from now- and this is important because it is where I will probably stay for a while- I'd guess in this order 1) Dallas 2) Phoenix 3) Austin.)

However, I'm a little underwhelmed to only be moving 3 hours from where I am now. I've enjoyed the pattern in my life of a drastic move every 2-4 years... First it was to Columbus, then Oxford, then Atlanta, then Houston, now Austin. I'd have preferred this last move to be closer to the west coast, but I guess I shouldn't complain.

April 9, 2007

I think I'm going to be a Longhorn. I'll be honest... it's not my first choice. But the economics of it are making this a pretty easy decision. It's ridiculously expensive to live as a law student in Los Angeles, even with a scholarship for half of everything. The same goes for Chicago, and even Durham, it appears. So I guess I'm headed to Austin next year. It's not official... not yet... but highly probable. I'm cool with that... It seems to me that people feel about Austin the way they do about Macs... "Give it a week and you'll never go back." (Which is very true, I love my Mac.)

In other news... I am not getting married... it was a joke. (Highlight the entire page and you'll get it.)

As of tomorrow, I'm starting a "lifestyle-changing" diet. I'm one of those people who believes that my discipline in dieting and working out is directly correlated to my success in other parts of my life. So I'm going to take the plunge and get down to it. There's no excuse for a 24 year old guy to not be in peak shape. It's laziness really, and I know I've made this claim before... but I realize that if I don't get some major discipline in my life (outside of the "forced" discipline of teaching), then I'm going to suffer come next year. It's not that I'm in horrible condition now, it's just that I'd hate to go through life wondering "what if". If I can do better, why not. So if you see me slacking... say something.

March 2, 2007

My girls were playing our cross-town rivals this past Friday night when I just happened to look around the stadium and realize that, once again, I was the only frickin' black guy within a 5 mile radius. A stadium full of people and I'm the only black guy. In college, I was surrounded by whites... in Houston, I'm surrounded by Hispanics. I'm not complaining, it's just a strange way to go through life if you think about it. So you can imagine how I felt after the game when so many of those people came up and shook my hand (that's a big thing around here) and personally congratulated me on having coached a good game. Students, parents, opposing parents... all of them wanted to say something. It felt good. Anyway, my girls are on the bubble for the playoffs. I have no idea if we'll make it, but I'm proud of them. They didn't win a single game last season, and now we're a district powerhouse. Well done.

Law school update- Lol... I have no clue. I haven't received a rejection letter yet, so that's a good thing. As of last Tuesday, Duke was my frontrunner... but I've pretty much decided against the Blue Devils for two reasons. 1) Duke, I believe, will be very similar to Emory. I appreciated Emory... but I didn't necessarily like Emory. 2) I think there is a part of me that is still trying to say "I'm good enough" to my ex. And that's not a good reason for picking a law school. So as of right now, here's the order: Texas, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, USC, Arizona, Temple, Duke. I'll start visiting the schools at the end of March, so stay tuned.

A few days ago, my car was raided my thieves. My laptop is gone (sniff, so many good memories) as well as some money and a few other things that I probably haven't realized are gone yet. The good news, though, is that I finally gave in and bought a Mac computer. Yes, my friends, they really are as awesome as they have been made out to be. More importantly, though, I have Garageband now, so maybe all of those empty promises about new music will actually come to fruition. Maybe.

February 14, 2007

Law School update. So I've been accepted to Vanderbilt and Emory. This is both really good news and somewhat unsettling news at the same time. On the good side, I'm 2 for 2 and my streak of never having received a rejection letter is intact. Plus, Vandy is ranked the same as Texas, and just below USC and Duke. On the unsettling side, I'm now forced to wonder... what happens if I actually am accepted by all of my schools. I seriously had not considered this idea (otherwise I'd have thrown in some Ivy leagues just to keep it interesting), but if it comes down to Texas, Duke, USC, Vanderbilt, and Northwestern... wow. Talk about a tough decision. Texas seems the obvious choice and in many respects it is... but Duke is my dream school. And USC is... well... it's USC. Vandy is only 4 hours from home and I'd be back in the SEC. That might sound small to you, but it's big to me. And Northwestern... lol... yeah... there's a girl involved. Why else would I even think about moving to Illinois. Hopefully it won't come down to that, but we'll see.

In other news, my girls have already won two games this season and we are tied for fifth in our district. We need to finish fourth to qualify for the playoffs. As for me, I just started playing again this past weekend and it felt great. Both my men's team and the TFA team posted 2-0 victories so that was awesome.

I gave standardized tests to my classes this week and only 3 people failed. How crazy is that. And to think I won't be around next year to reap the benefits. Ah well... This weekend is Mardi Gras in Galveston and after spending the day there yesterday, I can tell you that it is going to be every bit as big and as rowdy as New Orleans, so if you're around, feel free to join me and the girls (and possibly Dave) this weekend. Later.

January 17, 2007

So here's what my list of law schools looks like so far: Arizona, Arizona State, UC Davis, Duke, Emory, Ole Miss, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Santa Clara (CA), USC, Temple, Texas, Vanderbilt, WashU (MO), Florida.

I was feeling confident about it until I looked back at the US News rankings and realized that the only schools that I'll have a good shot at are the two Arizonas, Ole Miss, Santa Clara, Pepperdine, and Florida. There are obvious flaws with all but the Arizonas (which coincidentally makes them the frontrunner right now). All of the other schools, I have a shot at, but the odds say that I won't get in. On the plus side, they're all so highly ranked (with the possible exceptions of UC Davis and Emory), if I get in to any one of them, I'm set. We'll see how that goes.

The main thing is that I'm certain I want to end up in either Arizona or California when the time comes to settle down. That doesn't necessarily mean that I want to go to law school there, though. My basic issue with both states is that they're so ridiculously far from home and the girl. Maybe that's just something I'll have to get used to, though.

In the meantime, my girls lost their first soccer game of the season, 7-0. It was somewhat of a fluke as we lost our best player 5 minutes into the game, but I suppose the result might still have been similar. Anyway, it was a very very big experience that I hope to relate in the "journal" section of the site in the next few days. Stay tuned.

January 9, 2007

I would really like to write more, but I just don't have the time. I really have succumed to the work hard, party hard lifestyle, which leaves little if any time in the middle for... website updates. Anyway, I'll try to be more dilligent... it's just a matter of finding the time.

I would like to talk to more of you in person, anyway. And I'll be making the effort in the coming weeks. Thanks for checking out the site. Check out the "About me" and "Journal" updates and I'll try to make it a priority to update at least two or three times a week.

December 8, 2006

Wow, two entries in one week... an exchange between me and the football coach yesterday morning:

Me: Coach, I need your guys off the field... yesterday they were taking up 2/3 of the field and I'm sorry, but I can't hold a legitimate girls' soccer practice with 30 yards of field. It's not football season anymore... it IS soccer season, so I need at least half of the field.

Him: Sorry coach, but whose field is it? I don't see your girls out there watering the grass, and mowing it and airing it. I do that. And you know who pays for that? The football boosters. Which technically makes it OUR field. We're doing you a favor by letting you use it.

Me: [annoyed] So you're saying that since it's your field, we should let you do whatever you want, whenever you want? Listen, we don't have a field, we don't have any other options. If you're going to be like this, then that's a problem. And it needs to be fixed. Who's the athletic director?

Him: Me.

Me: [really annoyed] Isn't it in the best interests of the athletic director for ALL sports to succeed? Does Title IX mean anything to you? Who do I need to talk to fix this because this is ridiculous.

Him: Well, I'm just telling you coach, we need the field as much as you do so we're going to use it.

Me: [voice rising] Football season is over, coach.

Him: We play football to practice for track...which is in season.

Me: What the fuck?! Seriously, who do I need to talk to? The principal? The district athletic director? Who?

Him: Look...we'll be off the field at 4:05 when your girls get out there... I'm just telling you how it is.

Me: Thank you. Goodbye.

I'm not a fighter. I don't really have a temper. I hardly ever get upset. And as great as it might sound, there is a significant downside to that. My skin is as thin as it gets, and I don't handle confrontations or arguments very well at all because I so rarely experience them. As pissed as I was from that exchange, I was also very much shaken and I realized that I'm going to have to fix that if I'm going to succeed in any area of law. I've got to be able to fight for what I think is right and move on without it being so traumatic. I don't know how I'm going to fix it. But I guess diagnosing the problem is the first step, right?

December 6, 2006

I guess this section is for the hardcore readers, seeing that I don't update it as much. I'm trying to get better... really. I think I'm finally beginning to see my limits. 12-13 hour days at school followed by another 3-4 hours of work at home are starting to take their toll. (and yes... I am asleep in that new picture on the home page. One of my students caught me sneaking a few zzz's during lunch) It's a strange moment when you see things that need to be improved...ideas that need to be implemented... work that needs to be done... but you just can't. I just can't. I just can't.

I'm definitely not used to hearing those words. My consolation, though, is all of the good things that are going on right now. My classes are going very well, meaning, my students are learning at a rate that I think is appropriate for a ninth grader regardless of the chaos that is happening outside of the 4 walls of my classroom. The soccer team is looking really good. The law apps. are finally finding their way to the mailbox more frequently. And... and... hmm... well I guess that's it. Teaching, coaching, applying. That's what's going on. Lol. No matter, I figure I've got the rest of my life to do other things. Right now... this is exactly what I need to be focused on and exactly where I need to be.

November 22, 2006

Well, if you've paid attention over the last year or so, you know that I don't like November and especially not December. I was hoping to spend a few days at home (in Mississippi) under the blankets waiting for the whole thing to blow over, but I find that for me, at least, things are never quite as easy as they should be. My car decided to stop in the middle of Louisiana as I was driving home. Believe it or not, though, I was actually somewhat excited about the chance to test my critical thinking and problem solving skills. I mean, really, here's a chance to prove that I can handle my own now... no mommy, no daddy, all my friends are back in Houston... it's just me...and my brain. So I manage to get a wrecker (for free) and a transport to the nearest big city, Baton Rouge. I find the most commercial friendly mechanic on the most commerical-driven street (so that food and shelter wouldn't be an issue) and wait for the news that my transmission is messed up and it'll take 3-4 days to fix it and $3-$4,000 to fix it. Great.

Decisions... (which by the way, thankfully kept my mind away from what I was doing about a year ago at this time) Here's where things got a bit tangled... I could pay and wait, but that'd be stupid obviously... so I called the parents. (I hated it... but I just didn't have any other reasonable options that I could see) After spending the night in a Baton Rouge hotel, they came and bailed me out and as I write this, we're about to go back to LA to get the car, tow it back to MS and see what becomes of it. In the meantime, my sister found a new car online that I'll probably purchase. It's newer and a bit fancier, but affordable (I tell you, dispensable income is a beautiful thing) so that's another positive that comes out of this. I guess the main point of all of this is that 1) I'm not quite ready for complete independence. 2) I still have a lot to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

November 12, 2006

I know I promised music, but lately I've had the flu (or something like the flu) and can barely talk, much less write music. (excuses, excuses, I know...) Anyway, I think I'm going to have to take a day off either tomorrow or Tuesday to try regain a bit of health so maybe then... maybe not.

I've hit a bit of a rut lately and can't seem to get off my lazy ass and do things. That's the problem with success... once you've succeeded at something and you're not afraid of failure anymore, it's hard to keep your work rate up. No worries, I've always got that email a certain someone sent me reminding me of everything that makes me 'not good enough'. A quick read and I'm sure I'll be right back at it.

In the meantime, hope everyone has a productive week before Thanksgiving week. Traditionally this would be the week that I would simply "try to get through" for the sake of the break, but I'm going to try to do some major damage (that's a good thing) in the classroom this week and hopefully all of you will take that attitude as well. And keep Army guy, Rick, in your prayers. I know he's not actually in some crazy war-faring place just yet, but it's coming, sooner or later.

November 7, 2006

Hello again. I apologize for taking so long, but you know what they say, "absence makes the heart grow fonder." (except in the case of peculiar ex-girlfriends who seem more than eager to completely forget you and move on... but I won't dwell on that now.) To whoever is reading this... things are good. No, no...they are GREAT. Here's a list of some things that are going on and why you may, or may not care:

What happened: I finally can record MIDI tracks on my new laptop!

What this means: It'll take me a little time to learn the software and how to use all of the fancy tools but basically, I now have the ability to write my own songs using my keyboard from scratch. This is something that I have been wanting and trying to do since I was about 7 years old (I honestly have old cassettes where I would lay tracks over each other until the static was so loud you couldn't hear it anymore.). Anyway, I can finally do it, and basically this means that I can finally write my own music without having to worry about a guitar handicap (honestly, and somewhat surprisingly, hip-hop tracks are probably what I'm best at) and background noise from trying to record into a microphone. Think Yanni, mixed with a little Coldplay, and a little Fort Minor. Seriously.

What happened: I got a personal letter from the Duke University Law School Admissions Director

What this means: I'm going to apply to Duke Law. My chances of getting in are slim to none, but I'd never know if I didn't apply right? Furthermore, this really allows me to begin wondering "what if..." What if I got into Duke? My all-time dream school. It's a long shot, but I mean... if the guy sent the letter, surely that means I have at least a little chance, right? Even if it's only 1%, you can bet that I'm going to put forth the best admissions performance of my life for this one... stay tuned.

What happened: I had dinner with Sara and Cassandra last night.

What this means: After a bit of friendly debate at the dinner table, I think I may have finally rediscovered my passion for "thinking" and writing. If you followed my xanga or blurty pages, you know that I can/could write up to two pages a day spilling out ideas and theories about the world around us. For some reason when Andrea left, so did those ideas... But now they're back. And that's cool... because I'm ready to share them again and get your input. So be on the lookout for that.

BTW... my classes are going very well. Thank you for asking.

October 21, 2006

160... Well, it wasn't the 163 I was hoping for, but it's a marked improvement over what I had before. So what happens next? Well... it's going to be close. I want to go to Texas. Well, actually I want to go to U of Arizona. But more on that in a later entry. U of Texas is my first choice as of now. Technically, I don't have the scores to get in... my g.p.a. is a bit too low, and my LSAT is about 2 points too low. Do I think I'll get in? Probably. I've read at least 3 books on the subject and all agreed that preference is given to ethnic minorities... Does it help that I'm black? Yes. Does it help that I am a black man? Hell yes. Is it fair? Yes...and no. (see my journal entry on "Black Man") But it's not guranteed... Each of those books also seemed to agree that I'm about as borderline as it gets. Crazy, huh? The good thing is that my application is due next Wednesday and I should have an answer before Christmas. What a present, huh? "You've been accepted to the University of Texas law school". Merry Christmas, indeed.

My other schools (so far) in order of preference: University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Santa Clara (although I'm going to have to do some research on this one... something just doesn't quite make sense), University of California Davis, Emory University (crazy... but I have the scores... and I like Atlanta...why not?), University of Houston (much, much better than most people realize), [D.C. school] (ideally, this would be Georgetown, but my scores are probably much too low... still, I'm interested in the D.C. area), Ole Miss....

...you know what? This list needs some work. A lot of work.

October 11, 2006

I really don't update this enough, eh? Well let's see... I took the LSAT. Did ok. I expect probably a 161 which will get me into some places but not into some places. So we'll see. What else? I'm tired... But you probably knew that already, eh?

My principal just invited me to go to a conference with him tomorrow on how to utitilize school-wide assesment results for long-term planning (oh, the irony), and apparently I also was nominated for the Regional "Decision Making" Council. I don't exactly know what that means, but it's regional so it sounds important. That's cool. I also got nominated for Black Teacher of the Year which is more a joke to me than an honor, but it's still nice to be recognized. (although, isn't October a little early to be nominating people?)

OH YEAH.... I forgot... I'm the new coach of the girls soccer team here. The school announced it over the intercom (apparently everyone had been anticipating this except me) and the girls gave me a standing ovation and a poster that said they were happy to have me. That's cool. We had our first meeting yesterday. It was interesting, and I quickly realized that coaching a team of 14-18 y/o girls is very very different from teaching a group of 14-15 y/o boys and girls. Very different. But I'll get the hang of it.

One thing that's starting to annoy me about the whole thing are the comments I get from other teachers sometimes. "Make sure the only balls you're using are the soccer balls *wink, wink*" "Good luck, and be careful around those girls... you know how they are." Yes, I do. And thank you. But I'm not a pervert. And I'm not stupid. On the plus side, though, perhaps more than any experience I've had to date, I think this will really sharpen my people-management skills. There's something about being out there with 40 girls all awaiting instruction, direction, and discipline that really brings out the leader in me, and I'm relishing it so far. Our first game is Jan. 11... wish us luck.

September 21, 2006

So I'm studying for next Saturday's LSAT, and it's pure craziness... I've scored everything from 157 to 167 with my average lately coming around 162. That's good... it'll get me at least into UTexas, and possibly any number of other pretty decent schools. What's bad is that last night I took one and flipped out again and scored 156. Scary... it's bugged me all day too. I'll pray that it was an aberration and not indicative of anything other than the fact that I need some more sleep. That's what I hope at least.

I was talking to this first year teacher at my school today... and she was listing off a laundry-list of surprises/complaints about our students... and the whole time I was thinking "geez... what are we doing here? These kids have so many problems and are so far behind, we are literally wasting our time." The main problem, I've realized is that my students just have no idea why they're actually in school. They just don't have enough experiences to be able to connect "good education" with "good job." In their minds, school is more like a babysitter while their parents are at work... more of a social outing than job... It seems like a minor detail... but it's huge, trust me.

September 14, 2006

I sing in class...everyday. Today I made up a song about homework and sang it all through class. By the end of the class, about 10 students were humming along with me. I play the guitar in class every once in a while. Sometimes I play the guitar and sing... just for the hell of it. Sometimes it'll go with the lesson...sometimes not. I beat 3 of my students at chess in homeroom simultaneously today. I talked smack the entire time. I shake every male students' hand when he enters class. I say hello to the girls. I even give occassional hugs to my students from last year. I laugh at my students. They laugh harder at me. We all smile a lot. I like this job. I like these students. I'll be leaving soon... but I've found peace (and satisfaction) with teaching at Milby High School. No such thing as bad days.

Lol...I was talking to someone a few days ago and they asked me what I am up to these days. And I realized how incredibly boring my life has become. (for a 23 y/o dude in a metropolitan) "Well...I go to work...I come home and workout...and then I work some more... then I do it again. The weekends are great because I can really get caught up on the work I didn't get done during the week..." Wow... what have I become? When your social life has been reduced to LSAT study dates and soccer games... ouch...

September 11, 2006

Overheard in a teacher's classroom during our off period today. (eavesdropping, schmevesdropping...)

"Well, I think we were all stressing about the [standardized tests] until Gabriel came along. But together we all mapped out the objectives and he made calendars and guides for everything and we're really organized now. I mean, I understand why you're stressed about it, but it's definitely possible to get it all in because we've got every lesson and skill planned all the way up to the tests."

Oh yeah... that's almost as sweet as the goal I scored last night, or the sweeeet save Dave Ransom made to preserve the victory. I'm tired as hell, but it's good to see some of this stuff starting to pay off... success in life is more than LSAT scores and impressive resumes, you know.

September 6, 2006

I'm going to put my own music on this site. Soon. I promise.

Re: the ex. Well... it was going to happen eventually. Better to get it over with now.

Enough of that... My classes are going much better this year... (one of the benefits of being Lead teacher is that I have no choice but to be very organized and logical or everyone else will doubt my leadership), but today was pretty bad for some reason. When I think of the amount of work I put in preparation for each day, it's fairly disappointing when things don't go well... It's amazing how much less of a laid-back person I am these days. In fact, I'm fairly high-strung right now which is a drastic change for me. Oh well... might as well get used to it... I doubt that law-school is going to be much different.

On relationships... I just don't know about relationships anymore... I really don't. I don't trust them... And for some reason they seem inherently negative. I can't look at two happy people these days without thinking one of the following 1) they're new...it'll wear off. 2) Sure it looks good on the outside... 3) so...which of you is in control and which is praying that the other doesn't eventually leave. It's a bit cynical, I know... it's just where I'm at right now.

September 2, 2006

I started this program today that I hope will be my most significant accomplishment as a Teach for America teacher. I call it, "Mr. Jones' Challenge". Here's how it works:

If you're reading this, then you probably know that my guitar skills are lacking. Not horrible... just not anything special either. It's a perfect analogy for my students' reading abilities. They don't suck... they just aren't anything to brag about... yet. So basically, I challenged the students to a competition to see whether my guitar skills could improve more this year than their reading skills.

Most students agreed that on a scale of one to ten, my guitar playing is a 5. And I told them that most of them are reading close to a 9th grade level (which is a bit of a stretch, but that's ok.) I asked the students, "If I stayed an extra hour after school everyday in this classroom and did nothing but practice the guitar... everyday...how much better do you suppose I would be by the end of the year. Most students indicated an increase from level 5 to level 7. I promised them I would do it. Then I basically dared them that they could do it too... they could improve their reading skills 2 levels to 11th grade... by the end of the year.

Now here's where it gets interesting. In order for this to really happen, I'm going to test the students on 4 basic objectives every two weeks. A test every two weeks is a bit much for them, so in exchange, I'm going to perform a new song every week. The students will judge me (scale of 1 to 10) and I will grade their overall mastery of the objectives. Whichever percentage is higher, my score, or their grades, wins that week's competition and wins whatever is in the mystery bag.

The interesting part is that I've started being referred to as "that teacher who walks around with the guitar." But it's a good visual. Everytime a kid complains of being tired of a headache, I show them my calloused, nasty looking fingers and remind them that in order for any of us to acheive our goals, we have to work through the pain. It's as much a lesson for me as it is for them.

September 1, 2006

My daily prayer: Dear God, Give me the strength and the desire to use the abilities you've granted me to the fullest of my potential. Help me stay diligent and motivated to fight my weaknesses and make myself a better person. Thank you for another beautiful day with beautiful people and I ask that you continue to guide people into my life who will make me stronger and wiser through their examples. In your name, I pray, Amen.

On a side note, I looked up the word "agnostic" yesterday. It made sense. I don't agree with it and I'm certainly not advocating it ...but it made sense.

August 31, 2006

The biggest difference between last year and this year is last year, I was inspired. This year I'm motivated. Inspired is beautiful... it's creative, it's invigorating, it's...empowering. Movitated is pissed off... hungry to make doubters look like idiots...

Last year, I'd have an idea... and it might or not become something more. This year, I have objectives...goals... there is no try...there is no maybe, there are only results and failures. No... there are no failures. Last year was eye-opening, thought-provoking, experiences that facilitated the change from young adult to young leader. This year is calculated, methodical actions that facilitate the change from young leader to leader.

Inspiration is beauty. Motivation is anger.

August 26, 2006

I listened to the entire John Mayer album today. Good, not great. But definitely the kind of album that will grow with you over time and you just know that eventually you'll be saying "I love that album." One thing, though... It is scary how close this album mirrors my feelings this past year or so. "I am...in repair." (Beuatiful Song)

On the other hand... I just found out this guy is dating Jessica Simpson. I'm obviously disappointed, but as Dave said, "be honest... if you were in his position, and Jessica Simpson was after you, would you seriously turn her down... " Well... I'd think about it, at least.