Deer meat, storms, and treadmills

I have shared meals with friends most days since I got back to school. I wish that we did not have a meal plan during the year. I would enjoy so many more lunches and dinners that we all pull together and eat.
I exercised for the first time in months today and got sick. I thought the exercise had made me sick, but when I got back and had some coffee I got well. This probably means that I need to drink more coffee?
Unrelated note number three: one of my friends is bringing a bunch of deer meat down to the commons while I work so we can cook some burgers.
God is gracious and working in my life. It has been a dark past couple of months, but I think the storm is moving on.

Another sunrise to enjoy

I wanted to be a lawyer. Then I wanted to be a politician. Then I wanted to be a writer. Then I wanted to be a professional chess player. Then I wanted to teach ESL. Then I wanted to work with minority languages. Then I wanted to teach ESL. Then I wanted to study second language acquisition.
A random set of life decisions that spans from fourth grade until now and marks changing influences in my life. Looking back, it goes to show that everything depends on what doors God opens and what doors he closes, what influences are strengthened, etc...
I have no set plans for the future and that is OK. I want to enjoy today and do what I can to improve things today. Plans will shape themselves out. Many of my friends are graduating and facing questions about what they will do. Some have it all figured out. If I get to next year and "have it all figured out" I hope that somebody slaps some reality into me and reminds me that all that I know can change in a moment and that is not necessarily a bad thing. All can stay the same, as well, and that is not bad either.

Hermit of the Mountains

Yesterday was a people's day. I saw many people, worked a good bit, and got to spend some time with my roommate before he heads off to Istanbul at the end of January. Today is a hermit's day. I do not want to leave the room and I want to read. I wish I had a sign that said, "Do not disturb" or maybe "Beware of Dog"

A New Year

Forward to 2008. Almost three years out of high school, one semester from my last year of college, and maybe a little better for it all. I am back at school for January term. I am taking no classes, but have devoted this whole month to becoming more acquainted with my bookshelf. I fell in love over the break. With a book. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry. It is the kind of book that you want to read again as soon as you have finished it, and with just over one hundred pages that is a possibility. I loaned it to my brother, but may check the library later to see if I can get my hands on another copy. I have it in french, but that is for next semester.
I also dove into some Kurt Vonnegut for the first time in years. Last book I read of his was God Bless You Dr. Kevorkian. That was a little disappointing after reading Mother Night. My brother suggested reading Breakfast of Champions, but they didn't have it at Mckays so I got Bluebeard instead. It was a good read, but not great. Now I'm kicking off into my Christmas presents like Stephen Pinker's Stuff of Thought and Marquéz's el Amor en los tiempos del cólera.
I saw Sweeney Todd last night and wasn't too impressed, although it had some great scenes. The singing was mediocre and it was one of the bloodier movies I have seen in a good while. I did enjoy how the different motives of the characters never seemed to mix until the end when all was revealed (a vague way to not give a show away).
That is probably a boring synopsis of life, but my lot for a month is to read, enjoy some good food (cooked by me!), and relax. I already love January term.