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I don’t really know where to start. I mean for one thing, I haven’t seen the sun since I was about 30,000 feet in the air above the clouds on Wednesday. We descended through a thick layer of clouds to find about three, maybe eighteen inches of snow on the ground. I’m exaggerating, but there was enough snow on the ground to make the ground look like a bucket of moose tracks ice cream from that high. As the plane came down, I was wondering if we were still in the clouds until we touched down. But despite the grey sky, and grey everything-else, I walked off the plane excited to be here.

It was fitting that Gabe and Kelly picked me up from McNamara, those two know something about coming home from sunny climates to MI with the x-mas weather we all love so much here. Gabe actually left MI back in 2001 to escape what he called “the most depressing place ever.” I resented him a little for talking so badly about Michigan, because I loved it so much. Alas, now I see what he meant. Although I will not ever speak of where I’m from as if it is a bad place to live, I can’t help but feel like I’ve been some where with enough color that it has changed the way I see every thing around me. I hope the sun will come out eventually; I remember many days with the clearest skies and brilliant sunshine from every year of my life. I could use one now.

Readjusting is hard; I guess that’s the point. The first week or so in Texas, I started the count down until I came home for the holidays. Now I’m here, and time went so fast that I feel like I’ve been gone much longer than I have. Until today, I felt like I was dreaming all this, and at any moment I would wake up. I don’t think I will live here again. Maybe I’m just feeling the culture shock right now; maybe not.

On a lighter note: I stayed at Anna-Maries house last night, after about 13 strait hours of drinking. It was a simple pleasure: scratching the daylights out of two giant Rottie’s that I call my own. I don’t think there is a more basic way to feel loved than when two dogs that I rarely spend much time with (not nearly as much as I should any how) hit the roof the second they see me. That’s love man, two hundred slobbering pounds of face licking love. They say that petting animals is therapeutic, and maybe there is something to that. My folks’ dog Dexter is wandering around the house right now. He apparently can’t choose between his bed in my folks’ room, and the big ass bone in the living room. One day, he’ll figure out that he can take that bone with him into their room and chew it to death in bed: on that day he will probably also apply for welfare, disability/unemployment benefits, and truly understand what being an American is all about. I’ve got high hopes for that dog.

Well, I’m hitting the shower now; gotta party like its 1999 again.

note on the eve of my triumphant return

So, at the cusp of my first bout of finals at TXST, I find myself a bit concerned. But really I should say that I “found” myself concerned: finals are done man! For me anyhow. All mine were on Wednesday and Thursday. So there. Tomorrow is the game:





Texas State vs. Northern Iowa



ESPN 8:00et/7:00c be there or be square



So I have to stand outside and be “the man” and not let people inside the gate to the visitor lot and such. I get to stand there and be security…Jess put a picture of me doing so on her blog during her visit. This game, aside from being the furthest in a 1AA playoff for the ‘Cats (as far as I’ve been told) will be a new experience for most in attendance: it’ll be freakin’ cold.



Yes, last night, there was a bloody ice storm. That being said it was more like freething dritthhule. But it was enough to shut down I-35, Mopac, 21, etc and not only that, but since you know I was out driving in it, I got to witness first hand Texas-winter driving skills. Heh-heh.



My friend Jennifer, left work, and drove cautiously home. About fifteen miles away, she ran out of gas. As I told her, and some others, of all things Texans should not run out of gas being that it is about a thousand miles to every damn where in this state. It’s a friggin’ huge state, so they should know better than to run on E. She called me while I was studying, said she was stuck, and we found out that a tow truck was a good “hour or two” away. So hearing Jessi in my head, I went and grabbed her. No shit, there was some ice on that freeway. The hills were really shitty in some spots. This was illustrated by dumb ass after dumb ass that sped past and then either nearly lost or totally lost control of sus vehicle. I looked one person sitting shotgun in the eyes while they did 360’s across three lanes into a ditch. Naturally, my formidable (albeit small) truck was victorious. We got Jennifer’s car today. Then I went and got some thermal gear for the game on Friday…hey it’s 25 down here all of a sudden. That’s cold. It is worth saying that when I got back from the “ice storm” adventure that it was literally twice as cold in Ypsi, and five times colder in the Deuce.



It’s the end of my first semester here, and I’m pretty set on summer classes. At least the first session: I should be able to make the 4th; I don’t want to be in school for the rest of my life. This session went so fast, hard to believe it. Seems like just yesterday I couldn’t believe that I was in Texas. I pinched myself every day; and “no mames wey"’d too. Things are okay though…things are good.



I guess I’ll be seeing you guys soon enough. Looking forward to it. I spent so much time in the first weeks thinking of nothing but how long until I got to come home, now I’m sure that I’ll be coming back to SM for sure. So I think that while I’m back, it’ll be good, maybe I’ll finally figure out why people still live in MI with all that weather? Man, looks horrible on the news. I don’t know how you guys put up with it!



Keep the fire burning, I’ll be up shortly.