1 Month Later

So it's been a month since my last post, I've started working 5-12 am at golds gym now. Kind of sucks but I get a lot of reading done. READ Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet! It was an awesome book. Took me less than a week to red 1000 pages. Oh, and I have lost 7 pounds, now down to 188. Not too much has changed, already getting colder. EAT Fiber. I'll check back when I have something more interesting to write.

 - Dave

II

It isn't as much things changing as it is people changing. A lot of people never really let anyone see what they are really like, or who they really are. They're fake, and I can categorize most of the people I've met into that category. I lived reckless for a little while and really put myself out there. I drank because it felt good and drank more because I wanted to feel better. Most nights I drank to the point where I wasn't in control. I've ran around campus yelling "boobies" as loud as I could, talked back to cops and gotten cited, and more on top of it than I care to admit. I puked so many times that I should of learned my lesson, but never did. Now all I'm left with are these memories, many of which are blurred and I can't piece entirely together. For over half of my college career I let loose and had the best time of my life. I met some great people and have some great stories, but in the end that's all I'm really left with. I can't get a job, and frankly I don't really want to or think I'm ready. I wish I had 2 more years of school. I wish I could go back in time and re-live some of those moments I cherish so deeply. I'll never be able to simulate any of it ever again. From here on out it is over, and I'm forcing myself to grow up. If I don't get a decent job in the next year I'm moving to Florida. I'm still young and I still have a lot of living to do. What would you regret more, not living your life and being single in your early twenties or leaving the one person you love to put off growing up for a few more years, knowing you might never meet anyone who you care about that much ever again? I call this my quarterlife crisis. 

Revelations Revised

So tonight I sit and think about the last 4 years of my life. I am officially done with college and I can't get a job, so I'm trying to decide if the hard work and 30,000 I owe was worth it.

I look back at the blur of 4 years that flashed before my eyes. The people I've met, the places I've gone and all the in-between. I've been to some of the best parties, hell I've thrown some of the best parties, but now I wonder if I was too intoxicated to appreciate it. I look back at a lot of photos and don't remember being there. I'm not an idiot, I know it happened, but there are some instances when I cannot remember what events took place.

Four years later, 10 pounds heavier, and much much wiser, I cannot believe it's over. I'm sitting here depressed, upset and wondering if I'll regret the things I did and didn't do.

My first year spent as an apprentice under Big Mike. At least 3 nights a week I made the hike up to 124 B Lorentz Avenue . The venue where I learned how to drink and drank away the majority of my freshman year. If we weren't sitting around playing pong or a card game, I was out tagging along with Mike to a random party, drinking until I made some new friends. I even still have the lid off the first Natty Light keg I purchased. When I wasn't with Big Mike, I was at Stalnaker, hanging out with my first real group of friends in college.

My second year was the first time I was really out on my own. We partied MORE than I did the previous year. Bottles upon bottles of Liquor most of the time. I still cannot stand the smell of Bacardi Big Apple. Nights spent at the pool or in the hot tub, climbing fences hammered in flip flops just to get in. Lots of power hours, lots of beer pong, lots of drinking.

The first half of my junior year was pretty consistent with the latter. I was ONE block from campus at the end of Grant Street. A freshman dorm could be seen form my front porch. This is where we threw the best parties, and where I'd like to say my best memories were from. We called it the Black Hole, Beta Theta Omega, home. It was J-Nelly and I, against the world. Summer 07 was one for the books, and what I would call the peak of my collegiate career. And if you are following with me chronologically, all of the best times occurred before I was 21. 

This is also when I drifted the most from my freshman year friends, and met a new bunch of people from work. 

In October of 2007, I met the girl who changed my life. We had our crazy party antics for a while, but she shipped me into shape. The semester after I met her I made Dean's List. It was time to grow up some, but we still went out from time to time. Football Saturdays drinking at 10 in the morning, power hours on the porch after class was out on Fridays. The sun was always up when the night began. 

In April my house was condemned and I moved in with her, back to the Ridge, miles away from campus. Life was great.

It was my Senior year that really toned it down. The crazy crew from summer 07 drifted apart, my old roommate and best friend moved out, leaving me to live with a somewhat stranger. I cannot regret what happened. Big Mike graduated, J-Nelly moved out, and all my coworkers went their separate ways. People change, and few stay true to themselves. The best advice I can give to those going into college is live in the moment because the good times don't last long enough. That and it's the people you're with that make the night. Anyways I didn't go out nearly as much, I didn't have that great deep well rounded group of friends anymore. I tried to force it a few times, I was always me, true to myself and everyone who knew me, but you can only do so much. People want to go downtown, I just wanted to have a party... Its not the light and sounds for me, no, I don't need a club with loud music and expensive drinks, I just need good company, a case of beer, and my own set of tunes.

So thats about the shortest summary I can give of my college career. I missed a lot of classes, drank a lot of booze and burned through a lot of friends.

Cheers

Revelations

So tonight I sit and think about the last 4 years of my life. I am officially done with college and I can't get a job, so I'm trying to decide if the hard work and 30,000 I owe was worth it.

I look back at the blur of 4 years that flashed before my eyes. The people I've met, the places I've gone and all the in-between. I've been to some of the best parties, hell I've thrown some of the best parties, but now I wonder if I was too intoxicated to appreciate it. I look back at a lot of photos and don't remember being there. I'm not an idiot, I know it happened, but many a time I cannot remember what events that took place.

Four years later, 10 pounds heavier, and much wiser, I cannot believe it's over. I'm sitting here depressed, upset and wondering if I'll regret the things I did and didn't do.

My first year spent as an apprentice under Big Mike. At least 3 nights a week I made the hike up to 124 B Lorentz Avenue . The venue where I learned how to drink and drank away the majority of my freshman year. If we weren't sitting around playing pong or a card game, I was out tagging along with Mike to a random party, drinking until I made some new friends. I even still have the lid off the first Natty Light keg I purchased.

My second year was the first time I was really out on my own. We partied MORE than I did the previous year. Bottles upon bottles of Liquor most of the time. I still cannot stand the smell of Bacardi Big Apple. Nights spent at the pool or in the hot tub, climbing fences in flip flops and soaking wet just to get in.

The first half f my junior year was pretty consistent with the latter. I was ONE block from campus at the end of Grant Street.  A freshman dorm could be seen form my front porch. This is where we threw the best parties, and where I'd like to say my best memories were from. We called it the Black Hole, Beta Theta Omega, home. It was J-Nelly and I, against the world. The summer before classes started was a summer to remember. And if you are following with me chronologically, the best times I had all occurred before I was 21.

In October of 2007, I met the girl who changed my life. We had our crazy party antics for a while, but she shipped me into shape. The semester I met her I had received a 1.8 and the semester after I made Dean's List. It was time to grow up some, but we still partied. Power hours after class was out on Fridays. The sun was always up when the night began. In April my house was condemned and I moved in with her, back to the Ridge, miles away from campus. Life was great.

It was my Senior year that really toned it down. The crazy crew from summer o7 drifted, my old roommate and best friend moved out, leaving me to live with a somewhat stranger (granted he only lived a block up the street, but we didn't see each other much for a while). I cannot regret what happened. Big Mike graduated, J-Nelly moved out, and all my coworkers went their separate ways. People change, and few stay true to themselves. The best advice I can give to people going into college is live in the moment because the good times don't last long enough. That and it's the people you're with that make the night. Anyways I didn't go out nearly as much, I didn't have that great deep well rounded group of friends anymore. I tried to force it a few times, I was always me, true to myself and everyone who knew me, but you can only do so much. People want to go downtown, I just wanted to have a party... Its not the light and sounds for me, no, I don't need a club with loud music and expensive drinks, I just need good company, a case of beer, and my own set of tunes.

So thats about the shortest summary I can give of my college career. I missed a lot of classes, drank a lot of booze and met a lot of people. 

Cheers

 - Dave

Dark N' Stormy

1. Get some Goslings Dark Rum

2. Mix it with Barritt's Ginger Beer

3. Enjoy the Summer

Cheers

Jorge 2

And I forgot to add, I google mapped the distance from where I live to the Film Studio address on Jorge's page, and apparently I am to Kayak 2,756 Miles across the Pacific Ocean... I'd go on, but I don't think I need to say anything else, WTF?

 - BTCHLPS

Jorge Garcia

So two nights ago I'm up late, and  decide to watch the Food Network. Ace of Cakes is on and it's a  special where the cast is flown out to Hawaii to make a cake for the cast of Lost.

Jorge Garcia (Hurley) comes in to help them and for whatever reason I decide to google his name. Anyways... I come across his blog, "dispatches from the island." I read it, enjoy it, and come back to read it for the next two days. 

Before I jump to the point of this first blog, I want to let anyone who is reading this know a few things.  I'm 22, live in Syracuse NY, just graduated from WVU with a degree in PR and Business Administration, and have no fucking clue where to go from here. I'm torn between what I'm supposed to do, what I think I want to do, and what everyone else thinks I should do. Do I play it safe or do I live adventurous? I have my whole life ahead of me and I know that no matter what course I choose, I will live with regret.

Now that I've vented about some of my inner conflicts, I'll cut to the chase. Jorge Garcia, someday you will google your name and this will come up. I don't know why I'm even typing this or why I believe this might work, but I'm here and I'm still pressing the keys. E-mail me or maybe call. I don't even know what to tell you. You've motivated me to write this blog and now I'm waiting for the next big thing, my next course of action, my plan, my escape, my anything that isn't in Upstate New York. 

I know it's a long shot if it's even that, but what have I got to lose? I'm just an unemployed 22 year old with a college degree and no real plan, just a mixed up idea of what I think I should do. So Jorge, this first entry is devoted to you, thanks for the inspiration, at least now I have an outlet for my thoughts. Who knows, maybe you'll be moved by this entry and feel compelled to get in touch with me.

I think I believe in destiny and fate, and I know that there is so much I will never understand, and I believe in something, a god, a power, an energy... I mean, don't we have to? Isn't it in our nature? If we can't understand don't we have to wonder? Well someday I hope I'll have a better idea. Until then, goodnight Jorge and thanks again.

 - David Elmer BTCHLPS Porter