All I Want

Fall is here, and September is coming to an end. Just as October reappears once more, so too are nagging inquiries of "What do you want for your birthday?" directed at me. This is almost always followed closely by "Well, you're not getting 'Nothing'." In reality, there are very few things I could say I  really wanted for my birthday; I have a loving, supporting family, a beautiful-in-every-way girlfriend, and an iPhone. No need for anything else in my mind. 

Oh, what's on my Amazon.com Wishlist? That would be exclusively Amazon.com gift cards. Yeah, I'm that guy. What do you mean you have to get me something?  Fine.  In the order that they popped into my head, here's 50 things I want:

1. To kiss my girlfriend
2. A skateboard
3. A motorcycle
4. Someone to do my laundry
5. To see my family
6. My dad's home cooking
7. 100 1 million Twitter followers
8. Dr. Pepper
9. To be president of a club
10. To play guitar
11. To make people smile
12. To donate an organ
13. To change the world
14. Money
15. Another Green Bay Packers Super Bowl victory
16. To build something
17. A pool table
18. To live somewhere warm
19. Time to go faster
20. Time to go slower
21. The world to be a better place because of something I did
22. To laugh so hard I cry
23. The Milwaukee Bucks to make the playoffs
24. To see the Black Keys perform live
25. To own my own (very big) home
26. To travel to Venice, Italy
27. To never work at Pick & Save again
28. To walk on a beach
29. Candy bars
30. Six pack abs
31. Biceps
32. The Foo Fighters to never stop making music
33. To watch every episode of How I Met Your Mother in a row
34. Christmas
35. To graduate from college
36. Wisconsin Mac & Cheese from Noodles & Company
37. To kiss my girlfriend
38. To get married
39. A ping pong table
40. Kopp's frozen custard
41. To go on another road trip with my dad
42. To play basketball with my sister and block every one of her shots
43. To learn sign language
44. A swimming pool
45. To play with Legos
46. To grow a beard
47. To watch The Price is Right in person
48. To learn to play the drums
49. To golf more
50. To think less

Sure, some of these things are impossible, but no one ever got everything they ever wanted.  Otherwise, I'd be a professional tennis-playing Power Ranger. 

Unexpected Learning

After two weeks of college, I thought I would be learning about chemistry and calculus―and I have been.  But there's been some things that college has taught me that I never would have expected.  

1. The people I knew from high school also go to college.
Yes, they're all here.  There's Weird Unbelievably Chipper Girl, catching up on her Elvish literature during class one day, bringing a sewing kit the next. There's the Hunchback of Video Games, and Endless Question Girl (yes, it'll be on the exam).  Can't forget about Mr. Mad Beats From My Honda Accord or That Was Due Today? Guy.  This doesn't just apply to students, with Eccentric Yet Brilliant English Teacher and Let's Just Keep Moving Along Math Teacher making appearances, too.

2. Elevators > Stairs
Really pretty simple.  The elevator is free.

3. Free anything draws a crowd.
I knew this was true, I just didn't realize how true.  The announcement of free food, free t-shirts, even free water drives the masses out from every corner of campus to venture out into the heat in hopes of being a part of the elite "first come, first served" group "while supplies last".

This Is It

I'm Joel Turk.
I'm from West Bend, Wisconsin.
I'm a freshman at the University of Arizona, planning on majoring in Civil Engineering.

This is me.

And this is my blog.

I don't know what this will end up looking like when it's finished, or if it will ever truly be finished, but I hope it becomes a place where I can keep track of my ideas and share my experiences as I make my way through college, and through life.  

This is it.