Bad Matt!

Yes, I realize it's been a while since my last blog. My bad, LOL But I have been occupied, in a manner. Last weekend (21 Jan-23 Jan) I spent the vast majority of my time with someone very dear to my heart that will be studying abroad in Scotland this semester, as I did last spring. So we spent a lot of time together--it was time well spent. Then all of this week has been spent adjusting to classes. I hate the first week of classes. You're given tons of things to make note of and coordinate right away--absolute chaos--before you can settle into a rhythm for the term. That's all I've got for you fantastic folk right now.

Hate War

I'm not going to post on my feelings about warfare. If you have access to this blog, you should already know those feelngs. I make this post, at 0117 hours on 16 January 2006 because I finished watching We Were Soldiers. It is not the first time I have seen the film; I also read the book long before I saw the film for the first time. If you have not seen it, I cannot express in words... you have to see it. I care not your age, nor whether or not you get queezy at the sight of blood or violence--this is war, this is reality. The world is not a nice place, although that is what we strive for every day. But I did not post to tell you to see a movie. Rather, I post a question. A question that you may or may not choose to answer via comment to this post. But a question I ask you to think long and hard about. How do you explain war to a young child?

Rules of the Road

Some rules to follow when you're driving: > If lots of people are driving below the speed limit, there's usually a good reason. > If weather conditions are anything short of good, turn off your cruise control. > Even if you're only going 30 MPH in town, keep a good distance between yourself and the car in front of you--if they coast to a stop and you hit them, you get the ticket. > Given the choice between hitting an animal or swerving--hit the animal. > Given the choice between hitting a car or going off the road--go off the road. > If you pull too far into the intersection and reverse back behind the line, remember to put your car back in drive right away. > Even though it is 250 points for hitting an elderly person crossing the street, the state tends to frown on playing this game. > Even though you're 4 times as likely to get into an accident if you're talking on a cell phone while driving, the state would prefer you do that instead of pulling onto the shoulder or into a U-turn spot to make a phone call. > If the speed limit is 25 MPH, we have all agreed that we will drive 30 MPH unless there is ice on the road. Driving slower than 30 MPH will result in much honking, yelling, and waving of middle fingers. This list is by no means complete. But all rules have been verified either through my own experience or personal observance.

Starting a Collection

I bought the sword to start my collection the other day. Behold Anathros, Sword of Earth. Part of the KitRae collection, which is a rather beautiful, yet realistic collection of blades. To see the rest of the KitRae collection, check out his site 

Sometimes the simplest of things can seem to turn your world upside down, or just put things back into perspective. And sometimes... sometimes the simplest act of meeting somebody and then seeing them a second time gives you hope that you will get to see them much much more.

Old Friends, New Beginnings

The new year has come and gone once more. This New Year's Eve was one of the best in recent memory--spent with some good friends, many of which I haven't seen in almost three years. It was a great reunion, and seeing my old friend happily married reminded me of what I wish for in a mate: someone that will accept me for what I am and as I am; someone that I can grow old with. Normally I don't do New Years resolutions. Simply from the fact that for the vast majority of people, they are things that they will do for about two weeks and then just say, "The hell with it." I won't do that. But because of something that happened in 2005, I am going to re-instate a promise I made to myself after I graduated from high school. No Regrets. Since I graduated from LHS, I lived my life with no regrets. I promised myself that whatever I did, I would have no regrets about it. I wouldn't regret where my money was spent, how I spent my time, or the choices I made. I broke that promise to myself this last September; it will be a regret I will carry with me the rest of my life. But it is a principle which has shaped me into the individual I have become since high school, and so it is one worth keeping. The other resolution I am putting forth is to update this blog more regularly. I know that I have some people that read this blog, and it is unfair to you when I will update 3 times in a week and then not update again for a month. So I will try my best to have a more regular schedule of updating these Memoirs, even if that is only once a week.