"That's How it Is, and How it Ought to Be..." August 23, 2008

I really can't remember the last time I went three weeks without posting anything. I'm usually consistent, even when it comes to filler, but somehow I've overlooked that aspect of late. What gives?

To put it bluntly, 2008 has been a very interesting and exciting year, a story which will have so many more positives to it than my 2007 wrap-up come New Years Eve. But with excitement also comes business, which isn't something to be totally enthusiastic about. Frankly, this is the first time I've been forced to do any labor since May 28th. This may very well explain why I haven't posted any updates recently. Yes, I'm back in school, and no, I'm not happy about it. I feel like so much more could've--and should've--been done with my summer, even though through reflection it may very well go down as the best summer of my life. Perplexing, ain't it?

My last update on life in general was on July 20th, it's safe to say enough has happened since then to fill up a decent blog. It's really no question that I HAVE been busy, but with what exactly? Well, for starters, on July 24th I went to my uncle's in Midway, where I'd eventually stay for a week, including a trip to Milwaukee sandwiched somewhere in there. We left for Milwaukee via Amtrak the next day, nice, smooth ride. Then we got lost looking for our hotel, which was a pain in the ass because the luggage we were carrying was outrageously heavy. Eventually we did find it (try finding "Plankinton" if you've never been in Milwaukee before), so we stopped for Subway and camped out there for the afternoon, watching the Cubs shamelessly lose to the Florida Marlins.

But what exactly were we doing in Milwaukee? Well, primary objectives were two things: Catch two Brewers games, and the Police concert up there. We managed both successfully. The Police, like always, put on a very solid show, not much more to say that most don't already know. The Brewers games were interesting, second moreso than the first. The first had Houston winning 3-1 in a three hour game that didn't see much action. Not a pitcher's duel, guys were getting hits, just not scoring. The second was a thrill, Brewers winning, to my knowledge, 6-4, powered by a Ryan Braun go-ahead two run homer. I also got to meet the "High Life" guy, Windell Middlebrooks ("For $13, I'll BE a Macadamia Nut!"). What a beast! Miller Park is a good venue for a baseball game, nice and wide, seats about 43,000. I was impressed.

We went home that Sunday and would just relax, watch the Cubs, etc. Typical Sunday afternoon reminiscent of my early childhood (nice lunch / dinner from my grandma, Cubs baseball, summer weather...). Monday the 28th saw us heading downtown to Navy Pier's IMAX to see "The Dark Knight," which lived up to it's hype (except Two-Face, which was a totally moronic addition). We'd feast at Harry Caray's that evening and head home. The next day saw us attending the "Road to Wrigley" minor league game between the Kane County Cougars and Peoria Chiefs, which Sean attended with my uncle and I. Honestly, the fondest memories would be putting up a five run Cubs sixth inning against the Brewers on the scoreboard, allowing the crowd to go totally apeshit, and the rain that caused the game to end abruptly in the 9th inning. Interesting night, to say the least. Shame those National City bastards wouldn't let me get my Sandberg jersey signed. So far I'm 0-2 in my attempts with THAT.

Wednesday I headed home, and my long week was recorded in the book as my last stay away from home for the summer. No complaints, I've had a couple week-long getaways this summer, which ain't bad. Anything to get me out of Lockport.

It's safe to say that I essentially sat on my arse and did nothing substantial for a week after coming home, other than resting from my outrageously busy previous week and beginning to dread the beginning of school. On August 5th, the whole family attended the Cubs / Astros game at Wrigley Field. It's safe to say that game was one of the best of the entire season, with the Cubs coming from behind to win 11-7. Man, what a thriller! The atmosphere in that place in a come-from-behind victory is simply phenomenal. It was a very successful day, and I even pulled off autographs of Houston's Hunter Pence and Jose Valverde.

Following that, not much to really talk about. Dale and I really wanted to do the Extreme show on August 9th but there was absolutely no way we could pull it off, sadly. The saddest part about my time between August 6th and August 15th is that the most eventful thing that happened to me was my laptop crashing briefly and not having the slightest idea how to recover it (dad, our computer guru, was in Dallas). Told ya it was sad. The good thing is, I spent my whole final week of freedom well-rested, so who am I to complain, really?

August 15th was the day that no middle-school, junior high, or high school student wants to arrive. That would be the dreaded first day of school. Went by much smoother than I had expected, but really, the whole "come in Friday to be prepared for Monday" idea is total bullshit. Either way, not many complaints. This past week was my first full week of school and as of now, I don't have much to say. But, it's only a week in, and being the generally "glass half-empty" kinda guy I am, I'm expecting something to turn that around soon enough. Hard to be optimistic in a place like Lockport Township High School.

Hey, one of my rare "glass half-full" thoughts would be that, I only have two more years of dealing with these people, before I set out to do what I want and live my own life. Just the sound of it sends positive chills down my spine. So lately my mentality is go in, get my work done, come home, do homework, rest, come in, same deal. I don't bother with much else anymore, which to me seems logical.

That wraps up the things that I have done and accomplished since my last post, and I'd say it's really nice closure to a seemingly perfect summer. I honestly don't think I had one worry (aside of the computer incident) the whole time, which is a really rare occurrance for me. I'm very proud of it, for a change. Sadly, St. Dans Carnival this year was NOT a success, but that's nobody's fault. Obligations get in the way, it happens. So I couldn't wrap up my summer perfectly, but it was still damn good.

So, what's up now and what's up in the future? Well, the now has been pretty solid. School's off to a solid start, which I couldn't say for myself the past two years (even though Sophomore year had a fantastic end). I've caught up with someone who had left a considerable impact on my past, and I'm very happy that things are generally positive in that area. I won't say the name (seriously, do I usually say names, anyway?), but I'm sure she knows who she is. So things have been nice, I really don't have much to complain about. When was the last time THAT happened?

Future...future. Well, I'm not planning ahead too much. I do want to go to the Journey show on September 12th, but I'd have to gather a posse to go with me. When was the last time you heard "posse" and "Journey" thrown in the same sentence? Regardless, I really don't want to go by myself, at the same time, it's a show I'm looking to attend, and have for awhile. I've got time to ask around, so that's probably what I'll do. Other than that, not much else. I am also starting a serious website, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I don't like September, nor do I expect this September to be too hot. Now, when October nears, then we'll have something to talk about.

All in all, once again, pretty satisfied with life. It's the first time I've been consistently happy since May of 2005. And I DO mean that. Life's been a total roller coaster since June '05, so it's good to find some stability for a change. I don't know when I'll post something next, hopefully soon. Got a ton of ideas for filler blogs I can do in the time between monthly life updates. We'll see where I'm taken over the next few weeks.

As of now, that's about it. Good to be back at it, three weeks may not seem like much, but just look at my posting history. BIG difference. Stick around, I've got some good shit on the horizon. Until then, enjoy the grind of school. I know I will (end sarcasm)

-Zach