my older brother, bryan, went to Uganda this past summer for Invisible Children. since i first started reading his blog and hearing about the things he saw, the things he experienced, and the realizations he had, my eyes have opened more. since then, i’ve thought about what I could do to make a difference. to help. and i haven’t made much ground, but i’m working on it. today i googled around to find some places in which i could attempt to help. i was searching for sites against child soldiers in Africa. i came across a website in which they have an online petition seeking 100,000 signatures so that it may be presented to congress. our nation can try to make a difference in the middle east, why not africa. the website is at worldvision.org. at the bottom of this post is the link directly to the petition. i beg anyone who cares AT ALL to just simply sign your name. and please at least read into it, educate yourself of the situation. we all should. so please. just sign it. thanks you.
October 17, 2007
i am the walrus. koo koo ca choo.
It’s been nearly 2 months since i’ve posted on here. i just haven’t really thought about it much. but yea. school is well underway. my nightmare of being alone and hating the change wasn’t what i feared. things were hard for a couple of weeks but now that i’ve gotten busier it’s been better. i’m doing a little performing which is nice, considering it’s why i’m here. i’m making good friends and i’m actually like hattiesburg as a city. i remember the first time i drove down hardy street and tried to take in the fact that this was home, i wet my pants a little. but it’s better now. i like it a lot.
i don’t really have a ton to say. well i do. i just dont’ know where to begin. so i’ll just leave it here for now. i’ll come back and piece in the last two months gradually.
August 26, 2007
Thirsty Hippo Anyone?
So last night i had my first “going out” experience in hattiesburg. and it was a blast.
The Thirsty Hippo is this incredibly comfortable, stylish, underground, hole-in-the-wall bar downtown where local artists play. The crowd is full of all different types of people, but everyone has a blast. It’s got this great area out back with tables that is an excellent place to just relax.
Last night we heard 2 different bands that i’ve never heard of in my life, but both were wonderfully entertaining. Stale Fashion was one and i can’t remember the other, but it was two slightly psychotic brothers who were quick to unveil their large, sweaty, hairy chests. Interesting is just one of the many words to describe them. But both bands were a lot of fun, bringing a lot of energy and giving the crowd a good show.
If you live in hattiesburg or are ever in town and enjoy independant music, check out the Hippo, it’s a great time.
August 21, 2007
First Day of Class, Auditions, and Superbad
I start school tomorrow. It will be the first time i’ve called myself a students since May of 2006. My classes aren’t too bad, but it might take a few days for me to get used to being in class and taking notes and studying. I hated school until i was out of it for so long, now i’m excited to go back. I actually miss learning new things and taking notes and feeling productive. It’s been a while since i’ve done something to be really proud of. So now i have something to work for. Sitting out a year was difficult at first, but now i’m grateful. Now i realize how important it is that i attend every class, copy all the notes, study enough for every test. I think i’ll be a good student this time around.
Class starts Wednesday. Auditions are Thursday night. To say that i’m nervous is a major understatement. Last night a few friends came over so we could go over our monologues and give feedback. There were 3 people in the room, and i was shaking with nerves. This isn’t my first time to perform, why am i so nervous? It’s been 2 years since my last performance. 2 years since my last rehearsal. Everyone will have a slight edge on me, but i think after last night my confidence has grown tremendously. I’ll be fine. I’m excited about it now. Still nervous as hell, but excited.
One of the few people i actually knew from Southern before i got here was Shelby. Saturday night, shelby invited me to go with her friends to see Superbad. Never before have i felt so uncomfortable in my chair while watching a movie. It was so funny, but so vulgar and disgusting. 2 hours of sex, booze, and disturbingly funny artwork. If you don’t care for obscene comedy, stay as far away from Superbad as you can get. If you can handle it, don’t wait another minute.
August 21, 2007
A Place To Call Home
Hattiesburg, Mississippi. My new home. This is weird.
I’ve lived in Hattiesburg for 5 days now. It feels like 2 weeks. I haven’t adjusted very much yet, but i’m getting there. I always complained that starkville didn’t have enough stuff to do or places to eat, but now that i have them, i don’t want to leave the house.
I’m living right across the street from campus, which is nice. I won’t have to buy a parking decal or have to fight to find a place to park in the mornings. I’ll just walk. I’m also right next to the main highway which has access to everything in town. If i ever get used to this place, i’ll be just a few minutes from whatever i want. Which is nice.
My apartment is great. It’s becoming more and more cozy by the day. I’ve started putting up posters and stuff to decorate and it’s looking pretty good. I have yet to turn on cable or internet so it can get a little boring. But i have my movies to help.
I’m adjusting. Slowly. I think once school starts and i get really busy, it’ll be the fall and i won’t even realized how long i’ve been here. I can’t wait until that happens.
August 10, 2007
Moving: Part 1
We can create all these crazy technological things that make our world easy and so on, yet moving still sucks worse than ever. I’m waiting for some genius to come up with an easy way to move. Until then, i’m never moving again.
Last Saturday was day 1 of the worst 5 days ever. Ok maybe not ever, but it was pretty bad. On saturday morning, my dad and i started loading our 17-foot truck, which we noticed was a little small for two whole apartments worth of stuff, but we’re males, so we knew we wouldn’t have any problem. You know how it is. Well. We were wrong. When saturday came to end, we had the truck nearly full. And only a few things in the whole truck were mine. My older brother, Bryan, is moving to Houston, Texas so we had to make sure his stuff got on first. I can always make a trip home, it’s only 2 and a half hours. Bryan, however, won’t be driving ten hours for a forgotten box of kitchen supplies. Oh and i forgot to mention, bryan wasn’t even in town to help this wonderfully hot, global warming infected, day. It was just me and good ole dad. Like i said, day 1.
The apartment was still a wreck sunday morning, and it had to be spotless by monday morning. I wanted to cry. So bryan gets home that afternoon and day 2 begins. More boxing, more loading, more truck-packing-strategizing. The whole thing was like a 3-D tetris game. We didn’t have enough space to begin with so we couldn’t afford wasted space. By 1 a.m., the apartment was clean and the truck was loaded. Most of my possessions, however, were now residing in a corner of my parent’s living room, and they still are. But we managed to get all of my furniture and large items on board.
Monday morning came and i’ve never hated my life so much. Running on few hours sleep, we had to be on the road by 7. That, of course, didn’t happen. We set off late and extremely uncomfortable. See, the wonderful truck only had 2 seats. There were 3 of us going. You do the math. Yours truly spent most of monday sitting between the two real seats in a tiny fold-out chair, stradling the console. My happiness could have filled the sky!
So that’s part 1. Nobody likes to read long posts so i’ll give you the rest later. For now, just be jealous you missed out on my adventure.
