On summer, and the freedom that it brings

I'd like to start out by addressing the adoring fans who recently asked me to update this blog (yeah, that's right, both of you). You guys are incredibly lucky. Normally, I would have just ignored your requests since both of you, in your own ways, are obnoxious enough not to deserve this kind of treatment. But thanks to the evil that is The Facebook, which won't let me register without a school email address, which I'm not getting for two more months, I've decided to come back to Blogspot and start writing stuff again. I've gotta get my online time-wasting fix somehow, and this, luckily for you, is the next best thing. So anyway... I suppose this is where I start rambling endlessly about the trials and tribulations of my life. Well then...

The summer before going off to college is shaping up to be an interesting one, as well it should. I'm getting a chance to declare my independence, as it were... in several ways.

First of all, there's independence academically. I rounded out the year nicely, if I do say so myself. Translation: I did just well enough to stay admitted to college. The one class I really worried about was calculus, and yet somehow Mr. Cochran ended up defying the mathematically possible and giving me an A for the semester. How? Because when you are the man, as Mr. Cochran most definitely is, you can do anything you want.

So school is finally over, and all that's left is a summer sure to be chock-full of memories, then four more years of grueling work, then the real world.

How about independence financially? Well, the whole "getting a job" thing didn't pan out exactly as I had planned. But that's fine. I can't work for The Man anyway. I'd rather do things my way, which means piecing together a lot of random sources of temporary cashflow. I did a week of babysitting... that, to put a positive spin on things, built character. But if honesty is your thing, then what I really mean is that it taught me how incredibly hellish kids can be. I don't think anyone should be allowed to have a kid until after they've given it a one-week trial run and decided they're still ready for it. That would make the world a better place.

Other random jobs include selling fireworks (everyone needs to do their July 4th shopping at the fireworks stand in front of Sam's Club), feeding pets for neighbors who go on vacation, and moving tons of furniture.

Plus I'm starting to not suck at poker, which is a good way to make money if you know how to go about it. I've made a few hundred bucks online over the past week and a half, which makes for quite the nice addition to the "Who Needs Full Time Work? Not This Guy!" Fund.

Independence can come in yet another way... namely, independence romantically. I sometimes surprise myself with the life-changing decisions I make. One example of such surprises came about two weeks ago.

While doing what I did was by no means it easy, it did leave me feeling relieved. Now, I can go off to college and start my life with a clean slate, without any emotional baggage that could have made the experience quite a painful one. Life, the way it is right now, feels right.

The great thing about being single (for me, at least) is that it brings about a newfound appreciation for friendships. It took me a while to realize just how many cool people I am blessed to have in my life. Really, you're all awesome. Even those of you who mooch rides off of me daily, or crush me at minigolf, or eat Vermonsters for the bananas, or relentlessly call me "Clinchface," or steal my job at Bodo's, or found fan clubs devoted to certain people in my life who shall remain nameless, or insist on making a movie with me but are too lazy to actually go through with it. That's right, I'm talking about you.

I could go on, but this would only get more rambly than it already is. So I'd rather not. Instead, I'll wrap this up and head to bed. It's been fun... I'll do this again sometime.