And Look Up They Did.

Well, it's Thursday, and after a long week of studying much more than I care to, trying to fight impending illness (somewhat unsuccessfully, as it turns out), and a fair amount of lows (without a fair share of highs to compensate), I'm actually feeling pretty swell. Nothing out of the ordinary happened to speak of, but I'm just in a better mood. I'm getting together with some friends tonight (after a bit of studying, of course), and that promises to be enjoyable. All in all, I suppose I can't complain all too much. I'm comfortable.

Just a couple weeks of class left in the semester--

Blah.

It's been a 'blah' kind of day.

It's been a 'blah' kind of week.

Meh. I'm sure things'll look up soon enough.

A Wonderful Long Weekend

Sorry for the delay in posting... I had a great long Thanksgiving weekend. I spent quality time with family and friends, ate good food, and, frankly, had a lot to be thankful for. I saw an old friend I hadn't seen in ages, went to a Timberwolves game with my extended family, did a lot of laundry, and lounged a bit. I feel rested and totally satisfied.

But now it is time to put that nose back to the grindstone, as they say. I'm at work so I should be off!

Something To Be Thankful For

Today, like every Tuesday, I led my weekly Campus Kitchen shift to the Brian Coyle Community Center. We had a wide array of traditional Thanksgiving foods prepared for the clients of BCCC: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, all specially prepared by our staff for this event (the stuffing and green beans were especially good). It's part of an event we've dubbed "Turkeypalooza" surrounding this time of year.

As sometimes happens, we struggled to get out the door on time at the beginning of the shift-- the food insisted on taking a severely long time to heat up to the legally required temperatures, and all we could do was wait for the red marker on the thermometer to hit that blessed number. Then we had trouble getting everything into the insulated travel bags, after which we discovered that we had employed the one bag with a broken zipper and had to unpack and repack everything, etc etc. All the while, the volunteers are surrounding around me, wanting to help but having nothing to do. I'm officially stressed out.

When we finally get out the door, we're greeted by the Campus Kitchen van. We load up into what is a shoddy, worn down hunk of metal that is, to be blunt, good for nothing but getting us from point A to point B. I've got nothing positive to say about it beyond its presence in the organization -- we didn't have a means of transportation last year, so this is certainly an improvement -- so I won't try.

But then we arrive at BCCC and everything changes, as it does every time I get there. I always arrive with sour spirits but leave emboldened and satisfied (I'm cautious to say "satisfied," because it is not a self satisfaction but one based in community), although it is often a satisfaction infused with a suggestion of sadness. I see the disparity between the way I live and the way some of the folks at BCCC have to and I cannot help but feel somewhat embarrassed. Embarrassed on America's behalf for continuing to exist in such stratified condition, yes, but somewhat embarrassed on my own behalf as well. Comparatively, my life is pretty damn comfortable. I'm not saying I'm richie rich; I'm financially self sufficient (my mom helps as she can, but we're realistic) in regards to my own expenses, tuition included, and I find my bank account empty long before the end of each month. Yet I still am so lucky to have all that I do and to be all that I am.

This is cliche stuff, but it isn't bullshit. I'm a lucky guy, with friends and family and a mostly comfortable life. The work I do with Campus Kitchens isn't revolutionizing the world, but it just might be changing things on a micro level, and to me that makes it "worth it," whatever that means. So here's to Thanksgiving; I'm so thankful that my life is comfortable enough that I am able to take a little time out of my week to go out into the community and "give back" a little. Not simply to feed a bleeding heart, but to renew myself and those I call neighbors and friends.

Further Development...

Okay, so this monday just got way better. A box set by my favorite singer just came in the mail! I try not to get caught up in material things, but this music is what keeps me going every day without fail. This puts me on cloud 9!

It's Monday & I Feel Fine

Short week ahead of me this week. I need to get some stuff accomplished today but it seems very do-able. I feel well rested after going to sleep earlier than usual last night and am excited for a couple days off school this week and to spend time with my family. In short-- I'm in a good mood. Anyway... I'm at work right now and need to get back to business!

Ready For The Weekend

It was the longest week I've had in recent memory and I'm glad its done.

I did have some good times in there, including a midnight screening of the new 007 movie last night (which resulted in a very tired day for me today) and some other random fun. Now I'm all set for a weekend in which I hopefully accomplish a little, and relax a bit.

Here I go...

Off or On?

Is it better to live off campus or on? Its an often asked, often debated question, and its one that I'm not sure I have an answer to.

I'm wondering this a lot lately. I love the community feel you get living on campus -- you can't get that anywhere else -- but there are major advantages to living off campus too. This is my second year living on campus, but I plan to move off campus next year.

This is in part because I only have one semester next year, but also because I think it will make certain things easier. Still, the convenience of living on campus is one thing I will truly miss. I will continue this debate throughout the year, but I think I'm pretty set on living off campus next year.

Now the remaining question is: where? I think I'll put off answering that one a bit longer.

An Eventful Weekend

Sorry for the delay in posting. Let me catch you up to speed a bit.

Thursday and Friday blew by me last week. They now exist as a singular blur in which only scattered details remain. I do recall that I was very busy with studying and working, but that is about it. Friday evening I hung out with friends.

Saturday morning was supposed to be a lazy day with a friend. We had made some food and tea and were about settle in with a movie when... the toilet overflowed! I called Public Safety and someone came right away to fix it. It was unclogged -- he said someone must have dropped something down there, although what it was will remain a mystery as we were unable to recover it -- but the clean-up effort was not much fun. It is one of those things that's bound to happen to everyone sooner or later, and it was something we certainly laughed at both in the moment and after it had passed. That evening we celebrated a friend's birthday, which was great fun.

On Sunday I attended a concert for the band Thursday after being contacted by someone from their record label about covering the event. I was granted two tickets, a press/photo pass, and a pre-concert interview. I brought a friend along as a photographer (he knew the band better than I), and we had a fun time. The band was very humble and approachable. I'll post my article on here when it comes out on Friday.

So, that's a summary of my weekend, for the most part. Now it is Monday and I am at work, but I don't mind too much. After a weekend like the one I just had, I feel fully prepared to face the week ahead.

Election Day Follow-Up

Yesterday was great fun-- besides classes and my weekly Campus Kitchen shift, I tabled for the Democrats and worked to get out the vote. We brought a group of voters over to the polls and just made sure people knew of the ease and importance of voting, regardless of who they might vote for.

In the evening, my friends and I watched the returns late into the hours of the early morning and were very excited by what we saw (with a couple disappointments, but they were few and far between). It was great to be a part of the process, and it felt good to watch the results come in and feel as if I made even the tiniest difference in my area. All in all, an exciting day that I won't soon forget!

Election Day is Near!

Remember to get out the vote tomorrow! It's your right and responsibility as a (hopefully) informed and active citizen!

I'm cautiously optimistic about tomorrow's election... I don't want to get my hopes up, but I think the odds could be slightly in our (meaning the Democrats) favor this time around. I guess we'll see tomorrow night-- I'll be glued to the results into the wee hours of the morning. Also, the College Dems are taking groups over to vote tomorrow, so that should be fun.

Go Amy Klobuchar, Keith Ellison, Mike Hatch (I guess-- at this point, I'm for anyone but Pawlenty), and, please God... Patty Wetterling! (I can't vote in the sixth district, unfortunately, but I almost care more about this race than those I am voting in.)

Concert Recap

Wow! The concert was so much fun last night. An absolute blast. The Echo (student paper) photographer took some photos-- I'll see if I can't get some and post them here.

Capitol Jay and Dave Afdahl were great. My expectations for the main act, The Alarmists, were sky high, and boy did they beat my expectations. My friends and I had a grand time and the music was incredible. We told people about how to vote. And my friend dressed up as Neil Diamond and did a karaoke version of "Sweet Caroline" in between sets. All in all a fantastic evening!

Between Classes

I just got out of my English class-- we had an exam and a paper due today. I feel alright/pretty good about both, but I guess we'll see.

Tomorrow night is the big night: Augsburg College Democrats' "ROCK THE VOTE!" It is a concert to raise voter registration awareness. We've worked our tails off to pull it together, so I hope it will be a success. We managed to score a really big-name, award-winning band. Check them out: The Alarmists. Exciting!

I'll be sure to update sometime after the event. I'm one of three emcees, so it should be a blast. Then, Saturday morning I'm going to apply for my passport, then out to eat with relatives visiting from out of town in the evening. I'm looking forward to this weekend very much!

Busy

Yesterday was Halloween. I had a lot of fun celebrating with friends!

Otherwise, I'm just keeping busy. I had a midterm yesterday, and tomorrow I have a test and a paper due. Also, I'm busy planning for a voter registration event with the College Democrats-- more on that later. Right now I'm at work, so I shouldn't be on here too long, but I just wanted to check in.