George Costanza

CAUTION: Extreme use of the parentheses.

Every night at 10 the CW (one of five channels I am able to watch with basic cable) plays an hour of Seinfeld. Along with Jeopardy at 7:30, it is a show I can look forward to watching on a daily basis. Remember how big that show was? I remember during my 9th grade graduation ceremony Mrs. Strable said, "I will try to make this quick. We all want to catch the final episode of Seinfeld." It was huge. It trumped the momentous, hallmark event that was my ninth grade graduation (sarcasm). I appreciated her hastiness. Not because I wanted to get home and watch the final episode (I didn't), but because, well, how awkward was middle school?

You know all these silly facebook quizzes? (Bare with me. I'm getting somewhere.) You know the ones: "What animal represents your spirit?", "What Greek Goddess are you?", or "How will you die?" (These were literally the last three quizzes that my friends took according to my facebook homepage.) Well I am sure there is a "Which Seinfeld character are you?" quiz out there somewhere, but I wouldn't have to take it. You know which one I am? George Costanza. Think about it: I don't have a job, but am on a never-ending quest to find the right one; I have to move back in with my parents; despite sometimes neurotic behavior, I am indeed intelligent; and I have affinity for nice restrooms. Okay, so only a few are true, and I doubt I would ever be cast as George Costanza, but what I am trying to get across is a) I don't have job, and b) I am moving back in with my parents.

That is actually a difficult thing for me to say. I am moving back in with my parents. I have to swallow my pride and do it - thanks Mom. No really, thank you. We had a few of "those" conversations. The ones that last a few hours. The ones where your mother/father are in her/his element as a parent even though you are a mature, mid-20 something college grad. So a big shout out to you Lisa. Or as Barrack would say to Steele, "whassup?" (Sorry, I just had to find a way to get this hilarious video posted.) The result of these conversations was me realizing that I am living outside of my means - hey I had to do my part to contribute to the economic woes. I have been so far off track as far as my life goals are concerned because I have been putting all of my focus on staying afloat. What a slippery slope that was. So now I move home, pay off my debt by year's end, and follow through with my Peace Corps commitment. In the meantime I can enjoy time with friends & family, the beautiful Northern Michigan summer (I refuse embed a Kid Rock video), and stuff my mouth full of Don('s).

This really isn't a move of weakness as I had previously thought. I was thinking people will see this as a move to live at home for free and be babied. That isn't the case. I am going to work hard to get out of debt and out of that house ASAP. And also, I really don't care what you think ;)

Tattoo

Look what I did:

The memories of my Pohnpei trip are starting to fade. It was the best experience of my life, but as I get busier and busier with CVP and my Peace Corps plans, the experience begins to fade into depths of my brain. I don't want it to be something I think about every now and then. I want to remember daily, forever. So to commemorate, to remind me of my trip I tattooed the emblem of the Pohnpei flag over my heart...Well the left side of my chest anyway.

The nine stars represent my family: Mom, Dad, Josh, Ashley, Shirley, Stefaney, Dylan, Tana, and me - the most important people in my life. An ode to my family.

On the Road Again

…just can’t wait to get on the road again. The journey ahead:

1,661 miles. 25 miles. Yikes, bros.

I've decided to go to Richmond, VA. Richmond has two Community Voter's Project offices with high goals; I've never been to Richmond, so I figured why not? I really wanted to stay in Colorado, but it just didn't work out.

I'm not looking forward to the 3-day trip, but I can't wait to get to know a new city and new people. Wish me luck on my trip and I will update soon. Be on the lookout for PEACE CORPS news and pictures from Colorado.

Talk to you soon.

Adios Madrid

Well, unfortunately it doesn't look like I will be doing TEFL in Spain after all. I just really can't afford it. Too many bills, too many uncertainties. It is definitely an option for after this summer. I still want to see Europe and I would be there if money weren't a factor. It is too expensive to go over there without a job or regular source of income.

To be honest, I have been giving a lot of thought to the Peace Corps and/or the Center for Pacific Island Studies at the University of Hawai'i. The more I work on my presentation and read my old blog entries, the more I remember how much I loved my trip and how passionate I am about the Pacific.

Speaking of my presentation, what would you want to hear about Pohnpei? My presentation is set up in two parts; Part 1 being sort of an atlas introduction to Pohnpei; and Part 2 is all about my trip and what I learned. Please share in the comments below what you would want to know if you (hypothetically) were coming to my presentation. Thanks!

Wandering

I am a wander. Or, at least I want to be. When I returned from my Pacific trip I was ballooned with such a passion and determination to continue traveling and learning about myself, people and places.

That balloon has become deflated. My debt, and thus, a necessity to work has pin-holed it. I have also seemed to fall back in the routine of my life pre-Micronesia - the routine I hoped to escape when I returned.

Thank goodness for Adam traveling and working in India. He is blogging about his experience there and each email seems to inflate said passions about traveling.

The biggest problem is my complacency. I work and coach all day. After coaching, Harvey from Celebrity Fit Club (aka Josh) pushes me to go the gym. When I get home I just eat and play video games instead of doing things that need to be done in order for me to travel.

I don't think I am completely set on the Peace Corps. It's not that I am any less passionate about it, I just want to explore all of my opportunities to be abroad. Apparently there are tons of opportunities for college graduates to work abroad, I just need to discover them.

I am a little torn. The Peace Corps offers me the chance to really immerse myself within a different culture while affording me the opportunity to contribute socially. It is much more of a true and giving experience than, say, getting a job in Anywhere, Europe. At the same time, there are places in the world I really want to see and events I really want to experience, and the Peace Corps may not necessarily offer this opportunity (for example, an EPL game, Carnival, or Christ the Redeemer).

I think my best bet will be to just apply for anything, be open minded, and start to pinpoint what I want to do.

Weekend Update

So the Trojans lost a close game last Friday. Dylan was pretty devastated because was his last football game. I think he is excited to start focusing on wrestling and all of its challenges. I am excited about it too because I will be coaching. I have been in lifting with some of the kids and we goofed around a bit in the wrestling room today. I talked to another coach and he said that he is going to see if he can get some money from the boosters for me. That would help a lot.

I finally got a call from a Peace Corps recruiter. I have an interview with them on November 5th. It will be good to get down to Chicago - I love that city. I am happy that things are starting to get rolling with the Peace Corps. I am extremely curious about the different types of programs and places I could be going.

I have an interview tomorrow morning with Target that I have also been preparing for. The position I'm interviewing for is 'Executive Team Leader'. I am not exactly sure everything that entails, but more or less I think I will be working as an in-store manager. It's not something I'm passionate about, but I have to keep an open-mind right?

Tonight I went out to eat with a few friends then to see 'We Own the Night'. It was a great movie. There were a few parts where I felt so tense. I think that is the true test to how good a movie is: you feel what the characters a feeling, you feel as if you are in the positions they are put in yourself. It was worth $8.00.

Not much else to report on. Looking forward to a Halloween party on Saturday evening. Any costume ideas?