Pain

"Pain is weakness leaving the body." ~Random military douche

"Pain is good, it let's you know you're alive." ~Anonymous

"Pain helps us to better appreciate pleasure." ~Anonymous

"Pain: An unpleasant sensation occurring in varying degrees of severity as a consequence of injury, disease, or emotional disorder." ~Dictionary.com

My right shoulder hurts like a sonofabitch right now, and I have no idea why. My best guess is [possibly] overextending while changing a light bulb at work earlier tonight. All I know for certain is that it hurts like mad, and light massage doesn't seem to help any. I have financial pain aplenty (as most college students do). Especially so this semester, as I spent almost $200 on books. So Matt needs to do some penny pinching so he'll still have the money to build his computer this spring/summer. He also needs the money so he can get his tatoo. ~*Sigh*~ No real emotional pain to speak of--longing would be a much better term. Tina has been in Scotland three days now; it's been almost two weeks since I last held her in my arms. I think about her constantly when my attention isn't intently focused on something else. She is like that sliver of sunshine that draws your attention from the corner of your eye while you're driving. Not that I am calling Tina an unwanted distraction--far from it. I feel safe saying that meeting and coming to know Tina, and now having feelings for Tina has been one of the best things that's ever happened for me. Well, my shoulder is seriously bugging the shit out of me now, and I need to head up to the SRI meeting anyways. Peace and painkillers to all.

Okay, so I'm not going to lie. I'm as tired as a horse that's been running cross-country all damn day chasing somebody because the dude on my back is kicking me in the sides. I'm drained. Tina leaves for Scotland tomorrow. I feel like I don't need to even say anything more than that, but I also know that if I don't that you probably don't know what the hell I'm talking about. Does that make any sense? ~Chuckles~ Probably not. I haven't shaved since I last saw Tina on 21 January. I told her the other night that I'm not going to shave until I see her again after she gets back from Scotland. Here's what I look like as of 1 February: Heavens only know what I'll look like in May when she gets back. Probably like a bum off the street! ~Laughs~ It's only 0015, but I am just so seriously beat that I am going to bed. Peace.

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.