Day 244 | Monday, August 31 | 2009

Leo and Jordan...

Today has been a really good day. Woke up this morning to go check on my car (I ended up taking it to Athens Auto Center), ate breakfast, did some things around the house, and then went uptown to help Julia on her project and meet up with Evan.

At Donkey, I happened to see Leo and we then made plans to go to China Fortune later with Jordan. It was so nice to spend time with Leo and Jordan. Sometimes, I feel so bad about not hanging out with friends or staying out of touch. Spending some time -- just for a minute at the record store, at the coffee shop, at a restaurant, or at each other's place is a much needed chance to catch up. I loved hanging out with Leo and Jordan and they are good friends.

Tomorrow I am going to get a lot of work done. Mainly on my Ecuador sound project and cleaning/organizing the apartment. It's looking good as of late but there are a lot of things that need straightening out in the bookshelves and crawl space areas.

Day 243 | Sunday, August 30 | 2009

Mom and Dad Sleeping...

Here is a picture of my parents sleeping on the blow-up mattress in my living room. They spent the night in order to help me. (My place would be a mess if they hadn't helped me move in this summer so much).

Today was another great day. Worked/cleaned some and then met up with Caitlin for lunch. Parents left at around 4 and then I got to spend some much needed catch-up time with Matt. Matt came over, returned some of my musical equipment, we played a little music some, talked about motorcycles, listened to music and then he left. Later, Caitlin and I met up with Evan at Casa in which he bought us both dinner.

Which brings me to say....Evan has got to be one of the most generous, nice, and caring guys I have ever met. I am lucky to not only have him as my friend, but also just to know him.

Day 242 | Saturday, August 29 | 2009

Fantastic Cat...

I am not sure what her name is but this is the cat that is always hanging around outside of my place. She is incredibly friendly (for a cat) and follows me around wherever I go when I see her.

Today...

What a day! Caitlin's family came into town, my family came into town, and we all met up at Donkey to then go to Salaam for my birthday dinner. I was showered with gifts from everyone -- I am a lucky guy (!!) -- and it was simply wonderful to have everyone there with me. We ended up going to China Panda instead of Salaam because we could not wait to eat. Probably should have put in a reservation but it didn't matter in the end. Dinner was so wonderful. For dessert, we all ordered intricate combinations of ice cream flavors and the waitress was humorously stifled.

Day 241 | Friday, August 28 | 2009

Caitlin...

Today I am twenty four years young. Feels exactly the same as it did when I was twenty three yesterday. Twenty four. On to bigger and better things, right?

I had a lovely lunch with an even lovelier lady. My sweetheart took me out to arguably my favorite restaurant Casa Nueva and I am so thankful that she had a gap in her busy schedule to be with me. I am really proud of how hard she is working -- I cannot remember which one of my friends said it but they (along with me) thought that college would not be so bad if someone like Caitlin (or especially Caitlin herself!) were their R.A.

The rest of the day was also really pleasant. Met with Mike and Shannon of whom I feel bad about being so out of touch, I met up briefly with Julia at Donkey to talk about her film project and my sound project, and then ended the day nicely by being treated to dinner by Rem and Amanda. Mike and Shannon lent me The Fool's Progress: An Honest Novel by Edward Abbey and we also got to talking about various things like how Gram Parsons' cadaver was partly burned by his friends in the desert. As we were talking about Gram Parsons, one of his songs eerily made its way onto the randomized playlist of Mike and Shannon's iPod.

Day 240 | Thursday, August 27 | 2009

Design...

It has been a simply hellish morning. The first part wasn't too bad -- I woke up early and left to go out on a run (I ended up just walking instead) out on the West State Street park area. The morning was foggy and mystical in its own way and I found it calming just to roam around where only the insects and fauna were chirping or stirring. I wandered into the community garden spaces to look at what people were growing and I was really impressed. There were several towering shoots of sunflowers at about 7 or 8 feet high in the air, one plot was almost completely filled with corn stalks, and the other plots around were filled with common plants and vegetables like squash, tomatoes, and greens. I stopped by for a little bit to marvel at this spider's complicated design (pictured above). It was really neat to look at how the spider had effectively captured two bees (or maybe wasps?) inside its clever web. Simplicity in nature can be starkly impressive against the backdrop of how complex we humans try to construct this life of being. Sometimes it feels like there is so much that we need, our lives and worlds are turned upside down while the simple spider spends his life waiting, patiently perched in the simple design of her web.

Speaking of complications....this morning's follies started after I was finished grocery shopping at Kroger. I had great plans to come back to the apartment, cook vegan pancakes, shower, and nosedive right into the pile of work ahead of me. However, I get into my car and try to turn the engine and then I hear the sound of fate. It kind of reminded me a bird fluttering its wings, the sound of baseball cards rapping against the spokes of a speeding bicycle, and a mechanical mutant phoenix flapping its titanic metallic body all into one noise. In fact, it was an awful noise, and for the next three hours came to represent the sound of being stuck; the sound of fate against my will (not unlike the wonderful lyric from Echo and the Bunnymen's hit songKilling Moon). So there I was in the Kroger parking lot, stuck and bewildered, and I soon only made matters worse when I unknowingly locked my car keys inside of my car. I was talking on the phone with my dad about how to potentially fix the problem with my car, I was caught up in the panic of it all, and for some reason I just left my keys on the passenger side and locked them inside. It was awful. I didn't tell my dad that I had locked them inside because I was afraid of him reprimanding me (like he often has done) for me doing such a thing and I soon came to realize that I was left to my own devices.

So I regrouped, packed up camp a little bit, and then walked across the street to the conveniently-located AutoZone. There, I received the awesome advice of how to fix the problem and was given a long and slender rod that looked like an over-sized and unraveled shirt hanger. As it happened (as it was meant to happen Kurt Vonnegut would say) a good samaritan was waiting for me in the parking lot to help me out with my car. She prized open the passenger window with an ice scraper while I did my magic with the steel rod. We first aimed at trying to push the unlock side of the automatic lock button on the door but then later changed strategies. With surgical focus, I was able to unlock the lock dial that is located near the handle of the passenger door and voilá, we were able to get into my car! This, however small, was a triumph in what was otherwise a shitty morning (for the lack of a better word). Things didn't seem so bad when I was able to unlock my car and get my keys because, without my keys, I would not be able to get to my wallet, my phone, or get back into my apartment. Through my mind were images and fears of being stranded out of my home for the next three days until my parents came -- and I am so glad that that wasn't the case.

Anyways, me and the generous stranger (her name is Timmy and she was really helpful) worked on trying to get my car jumped. One of her friends showed up to Kroger and he helped us with the cables. The setup was good but it just didn't work. In addition to the jumper cables not working, my power windows being able to work, and my headlights functioning with reasonable efficiency, I have determined that the problem here is probably not the battery. I have come to think that the problem is either (a) the alternator is not corresponding with the battery well enough to start or (b) the starter itself is shot. Either way, we're going to somehow get my car towed or push it over across the street when mom and dad come on Saturday.

I am really lucky to have the generosity of Timmy (the woman who helped me) and she later gave me a ride (with all of my groceries) back to my apartment. To top it all off, I had realized I left my new iPhone in her car about five minutes after she left from dropping me off the panic had started all over again. I was trying to figure out how I would be able to contact her -- I only knew her first name was Timmy, didn't know her last name, and didn't get her phone number or anything. For about fifteen minutes I thought my phone was lost until I heard a knocking at the door. I opened it up and there was Timmy and her 21-month old daughter wearing her

Tinkerbell sunglasses, beaming from ear to ear, and clutching what appeared to be an enormous phone in contrast with her tiny hands and frame.

After saying goodbye to them both, I collapsed on my bed for about an hours nap. A simply exhausting experience.

Day 239 | Wednesday, August 26 | 2009

Nostra Nova...

Found my drawing this morning in storage. I remember talking to Ben awhile back (or at least him talking to me) about the idea of this drawing sitting in my basement. Ben had rightly made a observation that I have let my work/passions/whatever you want to call it sit un-touted in a dark and moldy basement. I know that he wasn't making the comment viciously or even ill-mannered at all -- but he was right. I really ought to get this drawing matted and framed.

Anyway, it's been somewhat of a cathartic exercise in going through the old stuff. I am looking forward to the time when I have gone through everything and separated things into their rightful place.

Day 238 | Tuesday, August 25 | 2009

Caitlin...

Today has pretty much been the opposite of yesterday. I got up, went running, did some cleaning around the house, and then spent the bulk of the day organizing my mini storage unit I have out on East State Street.

Here is a picture of my sweetheart, standing by a tree over by the river. We had just got done playing a game with some of the other ResLife workers. The game is called Sardines and it is essentially the opposite of hide and seek. Instead of everyone hiding, one person only hides. Everyone goes to look for that person and then they hide with them if they find them. The last person who has not found the person who originally hid is the person designated to hide in the next round. We played about three rounds of Sardines before we both got too tired.

Day 237 | Monday, August 24 | 2009

Caitlin's T-Shirt....

Today was a mostly unproductive day. I cannot really think of one thing I got done today other than organize my apartment and get things running again. The power went out the other day and I couldn't find the fuse box in my place. I called maintenance and they responded surprisingly fast. Scott (one of the maintenance guys) came by and was able to get some of the lights that had went out functioning again.

If today amounted to anything, it was that I got the chance to meet with Josh. It had been a long time since we had met (probably since February or March) and we were able to catch up a little bit. Other than being an very warm-hearted and caring friend, Josh is also an excellent sound engineer who is renowned in Athens (and beyond) for his brilliant work. He records Southeast Engine, Emily Rodgers, Zeb Dewar, (Nostra Nova), among others. Anyway, it was nice to meet with him and show him pictures and sounds from Ecuador and also to hear what's going on with him.

After a long day of doing little tedious things that didn't really amount to much, I gave up on any ostensible productivity and I wandered up town to get one of Troy Gregorino's no-bake cookies. On the way there, I saw Larry which eventually led me to have dinner with him at Casa. We got it to go and then went back to his house (where I only stayed momentarily), met up with Robinson, and then watched part of this movie called The Wicker Man. Very pleasing (yet demented) film. Someday I will watch the rest of it.

After I got a call from Caitlin, I went to see her. She had just finished a long day of meetings and work activities for ResLife (stands for Residence Life -- an organization that facilitates the housing, activity, and accommodation of Ohio University students) and was free to relax for a little bit with me. She is a Senior Resident Assistant (a more administrative role than the position of Resident Assistant) and I am really proud of her. She works so hard and diligently and it's inspiring to see how well she works. Unbeknownst to her, I boast a little bit (or at least I feel a good amount of pride) when friends and acquaintances ask me what she is up to. I tell them that she is working through ResLife, give a description of what she does, and after all of it I feel like a very proud friend.

Day 236 | Sunday, August 23 | 2009

By the Gas Station...

It's another one of those shots into the sun that never works the way you want it. Maybe someday when I am looking back on this blog I will (hopefully) realize how far I have come as a photographer. At least I am trying...

Today is Caitlin and I's 18 month anniversary of dating. I took this photo on my way back to Athens (from Cincinnati) just before I got in to see her. I love her with all of my heart and soul. I could not be a happier being than to be with her.

Day 235 | Saturday, August 22 | 2009

Wonderful Day...

The wedding has been absolutely wondrous. Brian Wiebe and Michelle Gnau were married today in Yellow Springs, Ohio and I feel honored to be a witness and music practitioner of their ceremony. I played Here Comes the Sun as Michelle walked down the aisle. It was an outdoor wedding and the setting was singularly gorgeous. The Little Miami River ran through the property where Brian and Michelle live and the chairs of the ceremony were all set up there on the bank. Brian and Michelle both stood barefooted in the river as they exchanged their vows. It was really touching for me.

Here is a picture of two pictures. It was Brian and Michelle when they were kids and this picture was pretty much the best picture I could take all night. I wasn't using my camera too much because I was either (a) talking with people I hadn't seen in a while, (b) playing music, or (c) watching people rope-swing into the river.

What a great time!

Day 234 | Friday, August 21 | 2009

Highland Park...

Today was a really good day. I got to see Susan and Mark and Caitlin is back in Athens. We all got Caitlin situated in her new residence, had lunch, and then ran some errands to get Caitlin more settled in.

Took this picture this morning before the Kraus family arrived. Last night was really late and I spent a lot of time with Jamie, Larry, and Chris. It was good to see these great guys. Jamie and I listened to some soul records in the wee hours of the morn. I hope I get to spend more time with Jamie than I have been in recent history. A lot of it had to do with me being in Ecuador, but it would be nice to be really close friends again.

Tomorrow I am going to head out to the Wiebe Gnau wedding and I'm pumped.

Day 233 | Thursday, August 20 | 2009

Cash for Clunkers...

Another sunny day in the neighborhood, another day for driving down the pristine East State Street to see the Cash for Clunkers cars yet again adorned so gracefully in Farmer's Refuse dumpsters.

Tonight I went to go see a band called The Back Pockets. Overall, I thought they were pretty cool and I enjoyed the energy they exuded -- somehow I left there feeling that all that they did made everything seem (momentarily) okay. At first listen, though, I could hear and see all of the hipster red flags go up -- they were playing one of those mouth melodicas (1), they were jumping around the stage like members of the Arcade Fire (2), they were all dressed in homespun costumes and makeup, looking like characters from Where the Wild Things Are (3), and furthermore, they made Where the Wild Things Are-like yelps in between their songs.

Speaking of Where the Wild Things Are, there is a patently cool film adaptation of the book coming out on October 16 (or is it the 17?) directed by Spike Jonze. In the trailer, there are several vignettes (accompanied by a spliced version of Arcade Fire's Wake Up) that seem like they are particularly tailored to most of us Indie Rock (with capital I's and R's) kids out there and has further demonstrated the latest example of marketing genius. Chances are, most people who read that book (and still appreciate it) were slightly left of center kids who are now slightly left-of-center adults just waiting for a new great Indie film to come out. The Arcade Fire song just reinforces the whole damn thing and it's no surprise that the trailer evokes goose bumps all around. I guess what I am saying is that I am utterly excited about the whole thing, despite the fact that I am very conscious of the film's conspicuous marketing ploy.

Back to the concert. It was nice. I guess what did it for me was just the enthusiasm and exuberance that The Back Pockets showed. Sure, some of the stage presence seemed borrowed (if not taken) from groups like the Arcade Fire, CocoRosie, or whoever, but the songs really stood up on their own and their performance was unique. In between some of their songs, they had a shadow puppet interlude that was pretty imaginative. I couldn't tell if their reference to The Rabbit of the Universe was some sort of Donnie Darko parody, sincere reference, or absolute coincidence. Either way, I sat there feeling a little baffled. Their shadow puppet show consisted of them setting up a white blanket while two of the band members depicted actions that the lead singer narrated on the microphone. I really hadn't seen anything like it in the house-show setting and it was quite memorable because it was sort of wandering into the realm of performance art and theater. Maybe it wasn't brilliant art or theater but it did make a lasting (and pleasing) impact. Bravo Back Pockets!

It was also nice to see Leo, Box, and some other familiar faces that I hadn't seen in a while. I feel that I wish I could see more of people that I have sort of lost touch with in some way or another but I don't feel guilty about it. I have been so busy. I hope there will be time to meet up soon with some old friends.

Day 232 | Wednesday, August 19 | 2009

Whale Mountain...

Tonight I will walk to our spot and look out into the trees all around me.  When I turn my flashlight off, I am enveloped in the darkness along with the fireflies and crickets.  The din of the crickets' song undulates rapidly through this space and when I close my eyes I see a black swirling funnel.  The sound is stark and doesn't echo and reminds me of the times my brother and I would rub our fingers together right by our ear drums to see if we could replicate the sound of bees.  The funnel I see when I close my eyes is comprised of grey and black checkers and is a tube that sucks things in until they can never return.  I open my eyes and look down toward my shoes thinking of that George Harrison lyric from today in my kitchen 'and to see you're only very small and life flows on within you and without you...'

Sometimes I picture the things I have seen in my life as if a slot machine were spinning around and things come sporadically -- a soccer game, standing on a beach, singing amid a large crowd, and walking around a vast city.  A certain sadness ushers in, knowing that these things will never been seen quite the same way, or, the places will remain while I will pass. 

I am so glad I have you, though, to share this time and these moments.  You bring me very much happiness.  I love you with all of my heart and blood.

Day 231 | Tuesday, August 18 | 2009

Washing Lettuce...

I made a salad today for lunch and it was delicious.  Some parts of the vegan diet have been hard but I am feeling really good overall about cutting out meat and animal products.  I have noticed I have the urge for cheese sometimes but (so far) every thing else is out of mind.  I am currently reading a book called Becoming Vegan:  The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet.  It's a really good read so far and it's also really helpful. 

Today I saw 500 Days of Summer with Evan.  I felt a little weird because I was wearing my hair down and I actually ended up looking a lot like Evan (it was uncanny).  I think Evan felt a little weird (maybe) about it and it turned awkward.  At least it was awkward to me.  I may be imagining it all.  I hope Evan doesn't think I am trying to emulate him.  Anyway, the movie was just so-so.  Zoey Deschanel did her job well -- her character was completely unlikable throughout.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt, on the other hand, gave a terrible performance.  He was too soapy and his timing was all wrong.  Sometimes these things can go so wrong.  Maybe it was lack of directing; maybe it was a shoddy script.  I don't know.  Either way, Gordon-Levitt's performance conjured up memories of Orlando Bloom in Elizabethtown.  That level of bad.

Later on, I met up with a friend of mine who is going away for a year to study/volunteer in Ecuador.  It was nice to catch up with her and wish her luck.  I warned her of the dangers she should watch out for and I also told her how much fun she is going to have. 

Day 230 | Monday, August 17 | 2009

Sweet Early Morning...

I came by myself to a very crowded place;

I was looking for someone who had lines in her face.

I found her there but she was past all concern;

I asked her to hold me, I said, lady, unfold me,

But she scorned me and she told me

I was dead and I could never return.

Well I argued all night like so many have before,

Saying, whatever you give me, I seem to need so much more.

Then she pointed at me where I kneeled on her floor,

She said, don't try to use me or slyly refuse me,

Just win me or lose me,

It is this that the darkness is for.

I cried, oh, lady midnight, I fear that you grow old,

The stars eat your body and the wind makes you cold.

If we cry now, she said, it will just be ignored.

So I walked through the morning, sweet early morning,

I could hear my lady calling,

You've won me, you've won me, my lord,

You've won me, you've won me, my lord,

Yes, you've won me, you've won me, my lord.

Day 229 | Sunday, August 16 | 2009

Spice Rack...

Mom and Dad visited today and helped me with settling in to my apartment.  A lot of things had been put on hold since I had started intensely studying for the GRE so here I am finally settling in two months after I have moved  in.  One of the new additions to the place is this spice rack.  

Leo, Rem, Michael, Box, and I used to make spice rack jokes all the time.

for example:

Q:  What is the spice rack's favorite Bob Dylan album?

A:  Thyme out of Mind

or

Q:  What is the spice rack's favorite movie?

A:  Tarragon With the Wind

Day 228 | Saturday, August 15 | 2009

Vegan Handbook...

So now starts other pursuits.  I have been wanting to pursue a vegan diet for quite sometime.  Right now, it is mostly just intuition that is guiding me toward this lifestyle change (and I do not have concrete data or support why I want to do this) but the overall gist of it is that I feel like this would be something that would enhance and enrich my perspective and state of being.  Also, it would allow me  to learn how to cook vegan food and be more centered.  

Maybe I am just babbling (?) and it is fine if you disagree with me (I am sure that incorporating this into my life will be met with resistance from loved ones, acquaintances, and strangers alike) but I am steadfast on this.  I will do it!

Day 227 | Friday, August 14 | 2009

Be Calm...

Well, it has come at last!  In just a few hours, I will take the GRE.  I got up early this morning and went for a walk, listened to a little vocabulary, did a few warm-up exercises, and made sure to eat a healthy breakfast.

The realization that I came to on my walk this morning is just that I have done all that I can.  I have studied so hard for this test and there is nothing more to do except relax and kick butt.  I am excited and pumped for the test.  Here I go!

Later:

I did it!  I am at a loss for words now but here are my scores:

Verbal:   580

Quantitative: 780

Composite: 1360

I am so happy right now.  I cannot believe I scored so high on the Quantitative section.  I almost got a perfect math score (a perfect math score is 800).  This score will definitely help me get a foot in the door (and at least not get immediately rejected) from the programs I want to apply to.  Now, I can think about the application process more.  I have been wanting to look at programs all summer but it just wasn't practical without having taken the GRE.  Some of the programs I have been thinking about applying to include but are not limited to:

University of Texas (in Austin)

University of Virginia

Arizona State University

UCLA

Stanford University

Brown University

Universidad de Sevilla

and many others.

I just don't know exactly where I'll be applying to, but I will know soon.  I am a little hesitant toward such prestigious places like Stanford or Brown but I might have the credentials to get in.  I checked online and my GRE score is higher than the average student's score at every school in the country (including Harvard, Princeton and Yale).  There are just too many uncertainties, though, so I will have to look at all of this more in-depth later.

Day 226 | Thursday, August 13 | 2009

Pup of Fortune...

Here is  a little sheepdog I hung out with at the pet shop before meeting Larry for dinner.  It was 9 weeks old and very cute (and surprisingly calm).  

I am nervous for tomorrow but meeting with Larry made me feel better.  We ate at China Panda and I got this for my fortune cookie "Unexpected gain and honor will be yours."  Sounds good to me!

Day 225 | Wednesday, August 12 | 2009

Franklin Wall..

I am feeling good.  I have been talking with my brother, Gretchen, mom and dad, the Kraus family, and Caitlin and everyone believes in me so much.  I am nervous but I think I'll do well.  It's just a matter of focus and concentration (and not freaking out).  

Today was my last day of studying.  Tomorrow, I will not allow myself to study -- just pure relaxation.  I think I will go see a movie tomorrow and have dinner with Larry. 

I feel like I have been living in a vacuum with all of this studying.  I am, in some ways, a bad friend.  I am sure people will understand.  Once this is over, we'll all have a grand time.

Day 224 | Tuesday, August 11 | 2009

Caitlin...

I got up early (but not too early) to get back to Athens.  Here I am -- just a few days out from the test!  I have worked so hard and today is really going to be the last hard day of studying (tomorrow and Thursday I will rest).

I love this shirt on Caitlin -- it is a shirt from the Columbus Zoo and it has paw prints of lots of animals illustrated all over it.

Day 223 | Monday, August 10 | 2009

Practice...

Took a practice test today using the ETS software (powerprep).  It is the best I have done with a CAT (computerized adaptive test) thus far but I still want to do better on the actual test.  Today, I got

Verbal:  600

Quant:  640

Composite:  1240

Only a couple more days.  Tonight I have my class in Columbus, I will see Caitlin and the Krauses, and then more studying.

Day 222 | Sunday, August 9 | 2009

Gate...

My brain is fried after studying vocabulary for about 10 hours today.   I walked on the bike path in intervals trying to soak in all of the information.

It is getting down to the wire -- the GRE is in a couple of days and I am beginning to be a little nervous.

Day 221 | Saturday, August 8 | 2009

Groomsmen...

What a fantastic wedding.  Here are the 3 of the 4 groomsmen (Rob, Rem, and Tony) and then I am the fourth.  

The ceremony was great -- Jim and Ang both looked great and exuded a glowing happiness throughout.  I felt like the four groomsmen playing music as we came in and out of the chapel was a nice touch and I especially liked Rem and Bruce's musical performances.  

Caitlin was beautiful as ever too and it is so good to have her here.  

The wedding party went to eat dinner at Salaam (it was closed off just to the wedding party for the night) and then later went to the C.I. for more celebration.  Dinner was great -- Caitlin and I sat with a couple from Columbus.  Sarah was one of the bride's maids and David was her boyfriend.  Turns out David is a student working on his PhD in Spanish and Portuguese at Ohio State who had recently led a study abroad group in Quito, Ecuador.  We spent most of the dinner talking about Ecuador, music, each other's interests and et cetera.  It was a great dinner!  Next couple of times I am in Columbus, I am going to have to get together with David to play music (he plays the drums, guitar, and bass).

Day 220 | Friday, August 7 | 2009

Rehearsal Dinner...

Here are Jim and Rob (Rob making a funny face) at Courtside Pizza for Jim and Ang's rehearsal dinner.  I really like the format of Jim and Ang's wedding and am looking forward to tomorrow!

I met a guy tonight named Jim Korpi (an excellent photographer; www.jimkorpi.com) and talked with him for most of the dinner.

Tomorrow Caitlin comes to town!

Day 219 | Thursday, August 6 | 2009

Graveyard on the Hill...

Driving back to Athens today to settle in and get ready for Jim and Angela's wedding.  I will study a lot today but not that much tomorrow or Saturday.

I'm pumped for the wedding!  I have known Jim and Ang a long time (Jim more so than Ang) so I am excited to celebrate with them.  I am happy too because I'll get to see Caitlin on Saturday (she'll be going to the wedding too).

Day 218 | Wednesday, August 5 | 2009

Where We Used to Live...

It has been one of those saturnine Ohio days that leave you feeling listless and lost.  I haven't been able to do a whole lot of studying today (I think there is a point where everyone just burns out) and so I decided to drive around my hometown a little bit and visit the old spots.  

Here is the house that my family and I lived in from 1992-2004.  Some of my favorite memories were here and I will never forget it.  The place doesn't look a whole lot different than what it used to but it somehow just feels completely different.  I can't put my thumb on it.  It's a strange feeling looking at your old house.  It still feels like you live there but fate has ineluctably changed everything.  

Day 217 | Tuesday, August 4 | 2009

Black-eyed Susans

Back in Cincinnati and studying.  Little to say about today other than work, work, work...

Aren't these flowers beautiful?  They are nearby my parents' house.

Day 216 | Monday, August 3 | 2009

Fiesta Lanes...

The place where I meet every Monday is actually a gynecology office.  However, there are a few suites that have study groups for the GRE upstairs (the gynecology office is downstairs).  Apparently, the whole place used to be a bowling alley (at least that is what I presume) called "Fiesta Lanes."  I couldn't come up with any other explanation why Fiesta Lanes would be inside a gynecology office.  I mean, I could come up with a lewd interpretation but lets not even go there.

I'm feeling okay about the GRE.  I took a computerized test yesterday and felt lukewarm about it.  I feel there is a big difference between the two formats (computerized vs. paper) and I seem to freeze up on the computerized version (whereas I do fine on the paper test).

I should just keep working.

Day 215 | Sunday, August 2 | 2009

Peripatetic Summer...

Back to Athens for today and then Columbus tomorrow for my usual Monday class.  

I have realized that I have been slacking off again on this blog.  My plan now is to just keep updating a couple a lines of day in my journal and then just transfer them and the pictures to my actual blog once the GRE is over.  It is crunch time now (less than 2 weeks!) and I need to focus all of my energy on getting ready.

Day 214 | Saturday, August 1 | 2009

Family...

Today Susan, Mark, and Robin came to visit to pick Caitlin up to go down to Aunt Patty and Uncle Jim's in Kentucky and also they came to celebrate Robin's 17th birthday (August 4th).  It was really good to see them and spend the time.

After they left, I took another practice test and this time it was my best:

Quantitative:   750

Verbal:   600

Composite: 1350

This was a paper test practice test and I find that I do much better on the paper tests than the actual computerized tests (the format I will have to take on August 14).  I hope I can somehow replicate this performance for the actual test.