almost the home stretch

I scheduled for most of my classes today. I'm pretty excited about it. I have Mondays off and only one class on Fridays. However, I do not have my grad course scheduled yet.

This term is the start of the real deal. Up until now I treated college like high school. I did enough just to get by. Granted, getting by for me were A's and high B's. But still, I never worked too hard on anything. But now it's starting to get serious. How I do in school is going to affect more than just my GPA. It's going to affect the rest of my life. This is where I find out if I'm cut out to be an engineer. This is where I find out what I want to do with my life. It's time to start taking things a bit more seriously.

But I'm honestly not too worried. I've never had a problem finishing what I started. I never really look at something and say "it's too much." I just look at it as what has to be done and I do it.

This term I start the BS/MS program. Basically I'm dropping 4 undergrad classes and adding a crap load of graduate courses. So for the same price and the same period of time, I will graduate with both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree. Woot. Smart move really. Considering that it'll be 6 years of college by the time I get out of here. I'd like a little more than a BS to show for it.

Arts and Crafts

So I went biking with my friend on Saturday and I realized that I needed two things. Well, technically, I only need one thing: gloves. However, I haven't gotten a new bag of any type for some time now and a I figured it'd be a good idea to upgrade. There's only one problem. For some reason, a good bag costs over $100...easily. Which is rediculous. Especially considering half the hipster douche bags using them can't afford a shower and a shave. How the hell do they get these nice bags? So, I started doing some internet research. There had to be a company out there that makes great bags on the cheap. But before I even looked at a retailer or designer, I found this interesting podcast on youtube on how to make your own messenger bag, for free! (relatively speaking, of course).

So now I'm on a mission. Some of my friends offer their support for my project, while some (inlcuding the one I went riding with on saturday) are skeptical. All the same, it's pretty much free, so...why not? Besides, it'll give me something to do in Newport while I'm home for spring break.

So today, I've been bounding the interweb trying to find ideas, accessories, tips, patterns, etc. I've come across some cool sites. I started printing out patterns (as well as making some of my own) and assembling little paper prototypes. They are all good designs, but not exactly what I'm looking for. I figure, if I'm makin it for me, why not make it exactly that I want? Right? Right.

The next step is to examine my skeptical friends bags and take some measurements. Then I think I should be able to bang out a desing that works really well.

After that, I'll start making prototypes out of fabric. On that note, if anyone has any fabric to spare, an old t-shirt or something, shoot me an email. I'd love it.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with some photos of my prototypes. Let me know what you think!

This one is wide opening bag with a rectangular profile. I like that because the other one has a very narrow opening since the sides are triangular. I think I'm going to shoot for something in the middle of these two.

Here is the profile of the rectangle side. Give the bag overall more room inside.

This is the triangle side. You'll see the classic messenger bag desgign. I just don't like how narrow the opening is.

And the side view:

"...the love of which is the route of all evil"

Money.

American life revolves around it. More than just American life, anyone in a developed country lives for money. It's the reason for existing, for waking up each morning and going to a shitty job, for going to college to get a less shitty job. It is the basic human necessity.

And everybody wants more. Be honest, you wish you had a little extra cash in your pocket every now and then. I know I do all the time. That doesn't make me greedy. It makes me human. There's a fine line between wanting to better yourself and being greedy. It's all related to why we want money and what we'd do with it.

Greed is wanting more than you need, wanting more than anyone else. You don't share, you horde. You buy things you don't need. You surround yourself with labels and designers and brand names because you think it gives you some status in society. Meanwhile, no one wants to talk to you because you look down on anyone that isn't rich like you.

I don't want that. I don't want "things." I could care less who made my jeans, as long as they fit me. Don't get me wrong, having nice things is nice, but be reasonable. You can find a handbag that looks just as nice at target. I don't need a solid gold toilet. I want more money so I can experience more in life; enrich it with new experiences and relationships, not new "things" to clog my already crowded apartment. I want to travel, I want to go see more shows, and I want to explore new hobbies like skiing and biking and silk-screening. Wealth isn't defined by what you have, but what you do. And I want to share all these new experience with friends.

I kind of lost where I was going with this, but point is, it's ok to desire more money. It's the basis that is needed to better ones life in this new world. Sure you can go live on a mountain and obtain spiritual nirvana by meditating with chipmunks. And I'm sure your life will be just as fulfilling, but that's not for everybody. I like the life I'm living. It just costs money to live it.

my friends list is bigger than yours

I steal all my topic ideas from other people


I just read the most recent post by my friend and future roommate. In it she mentions facebook and it's affect on young people today and their relationships. And I have to say, I agree with everything she said. These sites take something that traditionally requires years of building trust and sharing moments and reduce them into petty Internet games of grab-ass where you try to get as many friends as possible. An ex-girlfriend told me that I just don't get it. And I guess I never will. My friends list is small. My facebook is rarely signed on to. And the only people that I actually interact with on there are the same people I interact with in real life. It's more of an extension of tools for sharing, not for replacing true feelings with emoticons.

Enough of that. On to more interesting things, like the fact that I went skiing for the second time in my life on Sunday (no thanks to Merd...jk) I have to say, I've fallen in love with it. I've been skiing for a grand total of two days, and I can already tell I'll be doing it for the rest of my life. It's so much fun. I can't wait to go again this Sunday.

*currently listening to Jack make copies on the machine right outside my door while he watches me blog instead of doing work.

a man that needs no introduction...

4 years in college is too many. 6 years in college is a bit rediculous. The fact that people need to go to college to just get a job that pays well enough to put store-brand food on their milk-crate tables is rediculous. But don't let me get started on that...

The fact is, I'm burnt out. I'm stuck in the collegiate limbo rut. I'm in the between. Between still be an irresponsible post-teen college kid with my only concerns being where the next party is and when the next mid-term is and being a full-flegded adult with a job and a place to live. I'm both, and that's too much. I still get to be a college kid, because...well...I'm still in college. I get to go the parties, I get to sleep through the midterms. But I'm also pretending to be an adult. I have my own apartment, I have bills to pay.

The two sides are extremely conflicting, and I'm tired of both. I just want to be out of this! I want to graduate and enter in the real world. There are so many things I want to do! But I can't, because I'm in this strange limbo. Sure, I have my own place and a job (for now), but it's only a co-op, so in March, it's done. And the damn thing barely pays enough to pay the rent, let alone do the things I've always dreamed of. But, because I have said job, I can't do the things that normal college kids can..i.e. party all the time, stay up late, wake up late, generally not worry about much.

I want to start my life. I want travel. I want to get a wiener dog and name him Burger. I want a car. I want to make music. I want to eat at fancy restaurants. I want to move. I want to go on vacation. I want paid sick days.

I just feel like I'm waiting for something to happen, something to mix up the monotony of every day collegiate limbo. And I'm tired of waiting. I'm an extremely patient guy. Probably the most patient person I know. But I've run out of patience on this. I want to move on and start doing things with my life. Thrive, not just survive.

*currently listening to Tesla's Commin' Atcha Live after listening to In Your Honor, One By One, and Echos, Silence, Patience, and Grace by the Foo Fighters*