And today it begins.

I've decided I don't want him involved.

The University of Georgia, by the way, is fantastic.

I feel a lot less overwhelmed now that this week is over.  I've made some decisions.

THWT.

He took the coffee maker.

I need a hug.

This is a test.

This weekend has been better than I ever would have expected.  Finishing more in four hours on Friday than we have most of the rest of the season, having our first good show at Centerville in probably fifteen times performing there, placing third in our class (and higher than several important schools) at circuit championships, procuring the telephone numbers of hot saxophone players on rival drumlines, hanging out with some cool people last evening, actually getting decent service at IHOP...

And today.  I went to Angie's church, which was a lot of fun, met some cool people, and took the long way home, just driving and de-stressing.

I've almost forgotten the fact that what awaits me now is a six-page research paper.  Almost.

I find it somewhat distressing that when typing IHOP, I felt the urge to type, "iHop."  I was afraid that when I received an iPod for Christmas two years ago I'd become a slave to Apple.  Apparently, my greatest fear has materialized.

I think I'll go cash in my iTunes gift card and get some new music.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has noticed this.

It's interesting to note that his show airs on the very left-leaning CNN.

Oh, I feel like dancing.

Hilarious.

I think that Sunday nights are the loneliest of all.

The other day, my mother told me that I've aged before my time.  My own mother told me that I'm old.

I, of course, don't have to be convinced of my own youth and vitality.  I live on the edge.

Let's look at the facts.

• I stay up late, although that could be due more to the fact that I still have work to do than to my attendance of wild parties, I'll admit.
• I spend my weekends with my friends.  Usually, we debate current events or complete chemistry homework or roller skate.  Brad's allergic to rock concerts and drunken parties, but we let him hang around anyway.
• Sometimes, I might even go a mile or two per hour over the speed limit.
• I'm terrified of the interstate, but I brave it anyway when something as youthful and alluring as Kings Island or the mall or Leah's house beckons.
• I love the freedom my driver's license provides.  I spend my time tooling around town in my VW.
• "Dude" is (still) my catchphrase.
• I dedicate a lot of my time to such youthful and inspiring pursuits as playing symphonies and memorizing useless trivia in preparation for next year's academic quiz team season. (See, I am athletic!)
• I watch television.  Food Network and Nick at Nite are just about the only networks I watch.  Hey, Good Eats is cutting-edge programming.
• I enjoy learning new words and enriching my already extensive knowledge of the English language.  I enjoy being able to communicate effectively.
• My cell phone is kept with me at all times.  I usually use it to call my mom.

Clearly, I am a normal, youthful teenager who is in no hurry to grow up.  I'm not sure what my mother was thinking.

When everything you've ever believed in or hoped for is shattered and your entire foundation crumbles beneath you, there's no way to go but up.  Right?

I'm completely lost, all landmarks and road signs obliterated.

That sounds like a poem.  Maybe writing a poem would help.

aw.  =)

Home show today was so much fun.  Something about having the entire stands screaming for you is just plain electrifying.

And we played the whole show for the first time.  The closer is amazing.

And we won our bag of M&Ms!

It's interminable.

Existentialism, but it's not prom night.

Ennui overtakes me, the vernacular eludes me, and vicissitude ensues.

"If you ever teach, you're going to have to teach high school.  You're way too intellectual for elementary school.  They'd drive you nuts."

And high school students don't?

The vernacular eludes me.

I can't convey my current state of mind, and I can't translate the utter joy and depth of emotion to be found in music.

Vicissitude.

I may not know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.

The past pursues me.  It extends its entangling fingers like chewing gum sticks to a shoe.

And I'm not so sure I'd go back.  Not now.

At the time, the apocalypse had come and gone and all was lost.

But I'm not so sure I'd go back.  Not now.

And for once even my trusted verse hides from me.

But all is well.

You never let go.

I've never broken bones with a stone or a stick,
But I'll conjure up a phrase that cuts right to the quick.

It's easier to be sure you love someone
When her father inquires with the barrel of a gun.

Yeah, if life was a highway, I was drunk at the wheel.

If home is where the heart is, then my home is where you are.

Fear can drive stick, and it's taking me down this road.

We should get jerseys 'cause we make a good team,
But yours would look better than mine 'cause you're out of my league.

I am in awe of Matthew Thiessen's indubitable musical prowess and sheer lyrical genius.