You Know You Missed It

Guess who has two thumbs and hasn't posted here in over four months? I'm sorry. Thanks for being patient. Really, really patient.  Anyway, I thought I would do one gigantic post that sort of sums up what I've been up to since the last time I wrote. 

My first semester of college came and went, and I am still alive. Barely. I'm kidding, trying to keep you on the edge of your seat. Or am I? 

I am. So far so good.

School has been great so far.  It's hard to believe that I'm already one-eighth of the way to graduating college.  I've learned so much, and more importantly I've learned a lot about myself. It's cliched, but it's true.  All of my first semester classes were general education classes or first-year engineering courses. Probably the most interesting school-related thing I was a part of was building a solar oven out of cardboard and other everyday items that was able to cook a biscuit. In my group's case, the biscuit was cooked a little more on the rare side due mostly to the fact we tested on the only overcast day in weeks. Regardless, taking a design from concept to construction was one of the coolest things I have ever done. Safe to say, I'll be staying an engineering major.



Outside the classroom, the highlight of my first semester was taking part in intramural tennis. After playing for several weeks, I was able claim the title of champion.  I had my picture taken and received an "Intramural Champion" t-shirt, so you could say it's kind of a big deal. Hold all applause until the end, please.

I was extremely glad I got the chance to come home for the long Thanksgiving weekend.  I was, uh, what's the word...oh yeah, thankful to be able to see my entire family and my girlfriend Aarika if even for a short time, and eat all the delicious homemade food I could.  This, unfortunately, was only a teaser for the month-long Christmas break that would start in a couple weeks after Thanksgiving, right after final exams. After a stressful week of studying and busily bubbling in answers, I had survived finals week.

On the trip back to Wisconsin, I was excited to be home and take a break from school for at least a little while.  I don't know what I was so excited about. I had a layover in Denver, where they have all the usual types of weather you don't normally find in Tucson.  It was a balmy nine degrees, with snow covering everything in sight.  I was more than relieved when I checked to see what the weather was like back home and it was supposedly thirty degrees. It felt much colder than that.  The three months in the deserts of southern Arizona had made my skin thin, brittle, and beautifully sun-kissed. Nevertheless, I was glad to be home.

The winter break was relaxing, but way too short, as is every break from school I've ever had. I had a wonderful time spending Christmas with my family, and stuffing myself of full of home-cooked food again. Surprisingly, one of the things I was so happy to be able to do on my break was watching Green Bay Packers' games without having to go to the nearby pizza place, No Anchovies! No hard feelings, it's a great restaurant, but I was excited to hear my dear mother yell phrases like "Gogogogogogo," or "Look out!" as if Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers didn't see the 300-pound lineman chasing after him.  In my opinion, that's the best way to watch a football game.  Soon, it was a new year, and almost time for me to head back for my second semester of freshman year.  It felt like a week or so had passed since I had packed up my clothes in my dorm room with an eagerness to be home.  My vacation was over and now I was packing with a sense of knowing I would be back soon enough. It would feel like forever, but I would be home again. It was hard saying goodbye to Aarika. It was hard to say goodbye to my parents. As much as I would like for it to be easier, it isn't.  I think that shows how much something means to you, when you struggle to think about being without it. 

Along with a new year, January brought with it a new semester. A fresh start, a new beginning, and more cold weather.  One of the benefits of winter break being over was that I would come back to Tucson, greeted by mountain views and sunshine.  There was sunshine, only it was fake, empty, wintertime sunshine.  The kind that will warm your face if the rest of your body is willing to bear the cold long enough to let it.  I was taunted repeatedly, sent screenshots of weather forecasts, and became the target of many nasty remarks centered around the general theme of "HA HA IT'S WARMER OVER HERE THAN OVER THERE."  After several weeks, temperatures both at home and on campus normalized, marking the beginning of my revenge.  Now I take every chance I have to mention, ever so dramatically, that the high for today is only 72 degrees, while Wisconsin struggles to stay out of the negatives. Conversation typically sounds a little like this: "They're predicting how many inches of snow for you? I know, winter is the worst.  This morning, I had to wear a light coat," followed by several uninterrupted minutes of maniacal laughter.  

The regular patterns of being at school are now fully in place after almost a month back.  I'm very sorry to those of you who checked back here occasionally to see nothing new written.  I...(gulp)...promise to write here more often. It feels great to know that there are some people who actually like reading what I write. I know it's been a while, but it's good to be back. 

Thank you.


P.S. - In case you forgot, all fan mail, gifts, snacks, and other assorted goodies can be sent to:

515 N. Tyndall Avenue

Room D424

Tucson, AZ 85719