This one is for the "squirt".
Over the last twenty one years, I've been able to come up with certain absolute truths. I know the strengths and flaws of my personality, I know that cake and women are both very good things, I know I'm not that good looking, and I know what my priorities are. A final truth that I've discovered, which to this day has never been disproved, is that my life is karmicly balanced; that is to say that I'm not cursed nor blessed, but lie somewhere smack in the middle. As sure as the sun will rise, I know that any fortune I find will be somehow "balanced" later by at least a swift kick to the balls.
Damn it's surprising how often I forget that.
When I last gave an update, things were going pretty well. Sure there were some "personnel" problems with our trip to VA, but that aside, I was having a pretty good time. For a time, the happy train continued on its merry way. Only a week into the summer term, we had a juicy little independence-inspired four day weekend (which for me was a five day since I don't have any classes on Fridays). My sister and I capitalized the only way we know how: heading up north for a lakeside vacation with the family. We don't see our Dad's family that much since they live in New Hampshire, so it was good to see them all and get away from the steadily advancing heat in our area. Swimming, lobster, giant cones of ice cream. . . . All that good stuff.After a painless trip back home, things stayed good enough. We had a couple of parties/gatherings here at the house, I checked on things over in the Garden state a few times, watched both my brothers pwn in their all-star games. Hell, my dad and I couldn't stop laughing when Bobby (that's right, the little one) not only won the HR derby in Audubon, but then went and smacked one out in a game. And to top it off, my boys, my team, my country, Italy won the world cup! They played a great tournament, had the best defense and goalie, and they were all from the motherland (Cannavaro = 5'9" Italian defender = Me). Sure, the final against France was their worst offensive showing, but great teams are able to win even when they are playing bad, and that's what they did.
Then, well, I guess my intro kind of showed you where this was going.
Avert your eyes if sack-smacking makes you queasy.
I had been waiting to see about my coop for this upcoming term. Last year at RohMax was awesome, and almost immediately after leaving for class, my mind mulled over the idea of not only returning, but seeking employment after college. Hell, my boss Dave said it was "all but a guarantee" that I'd be back. I learned a valuable lesson that I'd now like to share with you all: "All but a guarantee" is NOT a guarantee. Honestly, it's been a week and I'm still in shock. I really thought that as long as the company was seeking a coop that I'd be the best person to hire. I loved the company, tried my best, knew the equipment, knew the work, knew the safety rules and had made some friends, but apparently someone there felt that a different candidate would be best. I suppose that on some level it's my own fault in assuming I had the job instead of maintaining a job search just in case, in not keeping my grades up high, and in taking the word of my old boss. I still plan on trying to find out what led to the hiring of another candidate, if not for peace of mind, then for having something to improve on. I'd like to know what hurt me in the end (was I lied to for six months in people saying I was doing a good job, did I get too comfortable, was it a grades issue, etc), but in the end it doesn't matter and now I have to go through B-round of the coop search.
There's been some other aggravation too. This heat, especially in the city, in a house with no central air, has been making it clear that when it comes to temperature variations I'm still a fucking wimp. I have no desire to leave the house, especially to go jog, which is making me get antsy. My classes, especially my ethics class (where pompous arrogance applied to philosophy reigns supreme), are somewhere between mildly annoying and irritating. On top of that, when I get cramped in a house for an extended period of time, it becomes painfully clear how much not having a girlfriend sucks (or lacks sucking if you catch.... eh, never mind).
Well, I guess Peter Griffin would only have one piece of advice to answer my problems: Grow A Beard. Believe it or not, that's exactly what I've done. If you remember, I wrote in a previous entry how camping would be the motivation I needed to not shave and let it go for awhile, something I've never done in the eight years I've been shaving. Most people who have seen it have been a bit surprised, but I like the way it looks, and unless people are lying to me, so do others. I definitely enjoy not having to perform my morning ritual anymore, and it does make me look older and more lumber-jacky.I suppose that all I can do now is wait to crest again.
