Having the Most of Life NOT the Best of Life

Live it

2011-12-06T15:48:00.001-06:00

So I realized it has been awhile since I posted. My life is always an adventure and there is always a lot of things going on through my mind. Life plans (multiple life plans). Back-up plans. Goals, ambitions and having fun.

I try to live it. I do the unpredictable. The opportunities that come-up that I don't plan for are typically the ones I take. I like to live on the whim. A friend described me as a leaf blowing in the wind.

The current theme I am attempting to live with life is to be "Young and Stupid". I am 23-years-old. This is the time for me to try new things and explore the world. I got the travel bug so I took a vacation to NYC and had a blast.

My life is full of surprises. People always ask what is next for me. I can't help but smile and say, "I don't know, right now I am just hanging-out." Then something happens that changes everything. I have a dream to live in Seattle or NYC or DC someday. I planned all of those out but each plan I have strayed away from because a new random opportunity has opened up.

I am living life. Find a random opportunity and take-it. It could be miserable or amazing. Seek adventure while hanging-out. Know that you will never starve and if you can't pay your bills they aren't going anywhere, except to collection agency :) (disclaimer mine aren't in a collection agency)

Punk Shows and Insurance Companies

2011-10-05T18:09:00.001-05:00

They are always so much fun. I feel that concerts are always very intimate. You are standing super close to strangers and if it was for any other kind of event you would be in their personal space, but not at a concert. You are all right on top of another. It is rather interesting to look at when you think about it (possible research idea for nonverbal communication). Anyway. They are intimate and fun.

However they can also be painful. By this I mean painful emotionally and physically. My pain was both at my previous show. I went and saw my favorite band, Thrice. I haven't seem them live for quite sometime. I was super excited for this show. Their music speaks to me on so many different levels emotionally. They help me through pain and they also provide happiness. They have inspired one of my tattoos. This band means so much to me.

They were the headliner with Moving Mountains, O'Brother and La Dispute playing before them. Thrice opened their set with their newest single "Yellow Belly." I was super close to the front and in the center of the pit, when my knee got kicked and I got swung the opposite direction, dislocating my patella. I had to basically hang onto people to get out of the front of center stage.

My knee then started to pop back in place as they began singing "Somethings gone terribly wrong" in their song All the world is mad. Those few words stuck to me because something went terribly wrong, I should have been in the front for this entire set but instead I had a dislocated knee and had to ice it. I used one hand to ice my knee and the second hand held a tall boy of Lone Star.

In between the pain I rocked out as much as I could from the bleachers. Singing along at the top of my voice. I also tried not to cry emotionally because here I am sitting during my favorite band because I was in so much physical pain. However I sat and enjoyed it as much as I could. I did however pass-up the Invisible Children secret show afterwards, Dustin was playing an acoustic solo show after to raise funds for Invisible Children.

I got home took a long hot bath and then iced my patella. I took some advil and then slept. I woke-up today in excruciating pain. I then realized that I needed to go to Urgent Care. After going to four different locations I finally found a place that took my insurance. It was very frustrating. I hate insurance companies and it is ridiculous that I had to go to four different locations to be see when I was in this much pain.

After I was seen, my x-rays showed that my patella is still not completely back in place and I have to go to an ortho specialist which I have made an appointment for. I am now wearing an immobilizer and on vicodin. It is slightly scary because I could be needing surgery. Which means I may not be able to work for a few weeks. I don't know how to survive without working, I mean I rent and other bills and what not. These answers are just waiting for Friday.

In the meantime I am out of commission. I have no vehicle and I can't ride my bike, it sucks. Getting to and fro work is going to be a challenge but I believe I am up for it. After all this is just an experience that I have to deal with. Thankfully I will have some musical inspiration.

Six months and the Brits...

2011-09-13T15:34:00.001-05:00

It is hard to believe that in about a week I would have lived in Austin for six months and to discover how much my life has changed. I have always been the green type of person but these last six months I feel that I have grown into an even greener person. I do not have a car in Austin, I ride my bike everywhere,

Without driving I am reducing CO2 emissions drastically and I love knowing that I am making a small impact. I know it is not much but I feel it is enough. By cycling everywhere I am also getting more exercise and daily exercise. Its not like I didn't exercise back in Reno but I am definitely making health a larger priority in my life in Austin. I am eating out a lot less and cooking more at home. My overall consumption has been decreasing.

I am learning to find fun in new and different activities that I haven't done before. I am finding my passion for creative writing more and more everyday. I am growing more into myself. I am becoming a stronger individual. I have struggled through some of this but I keep my motivation high and I keep myself going. I am finding zen.

Although I haven't really found a "circle of friends" the people that I am finding are teaching me so much about life. Helping me find new discoveries. I am realizing so many different avenues. I am not saying I know what I want to do but I am learning things that I don't want to do. I am discovering a new way of learning. I have been putting myself through many rigorous mental challenges as well.

I feel lost and found all at once. I am just going with the flow but not settling for anything. I am creating some safety nets but none of them are for certain. I am discovering a new pair of lens to see the world through and I am loving it.

I have also seemed to meet some very notable people during these 6 months. A few have been some people who I occasionally meet-up with for drinks, a few of them are people vacationing in Austin like my last extravaganza with the Brits. They were some of the coolest and most genuine individuals I have yet to meet. However having a night out with Brits entails a large amount of drinking because they expect you to keep-up pint for pint. Thus creates a large headache the next day but anyhow it is always fun.

Born Free

2011-09-02T22:56:00.001-05:00

A friend that is very dear to me asked my opinion on an MIA music video called Born Free below are the lyrics and the video.

Whooo!
Yeah man made powers
Stood like a tower higher and higher hello
And the higher you go you feel lower, oh
I was close to the end staying undercover
staying undercover
With a nose to the ground I found my sound

Got myself an interview tomorrow
I got myself a jacket for a dolla
.............
and the car doesn't work so I'm stuck here
yeah i don't wanna live for tomorrow
I push my life today
I throw this in your face when I see ya
I got something to say
I throw this shit in your face when I see ya
Cause I got something to say

I was born free (born free)
I was born free (born free)
(bo-bo-born free ....)

You could try to find ways to be happier
You might end up somewhere in Ethiopia
You can think big with your idea
You ain't never gonna find utopia
Take a bite out of life make it snappier yeah
Ordinary gon super trippyer
So I check sh!t cause I'm lippyer
And split a cheque like slovakia

Yeah i don't wanna live for tomorrow
I push my life today
I throw this in your face when I see you
I got something to say
I throw this sh!t in your face when I see you
Cause I got something to say

I was born free (born free)
I was born free (born free)
I was born free (born free)
(bo-bo-born free ....)
ooooh

I don't wanna talk about money, 'cause I got it
And I don't wanna talk about hoochies, 'cause I been it
And I don't wanna be that fake?, but you can do it
And imitators, yeah, speak it

Oh Lord? whoever you are, yeah come out wherever you are
Oh Lord? whoever you are, yeah come out wherever you are
and tell em!

Born free (born free)
I was born free (born free)
I was born free (born free)
(bo-bo-born free ....)

I am still trying to figure out what the message this video is dictating. There are so many different angles that my mind went to. The first thing that I can for surely say is the directing style of this video is phenomenal. Also I appreciate the "freedom of speech" used in it. I quoted freedom of speech because MIA is not American, she is from the UK. My point being is that I appreciate people who speak their mind on controversial issues. I respect that no matter what their cause is. The fact that the speak-up I appreciate it. Now that I have said that I want to explore the message of this video.

The first time I watched it my immediate thought was that in some weird underlining way it was talking about the holocaust but portraying a different sector of discrimination upon redheads or the ever new popular term that South Park created, "Gingers", the soulless, red haired, freckled individuals. I have decided against the idea of it talking about the Holocaust but I do think that the director did use ideas from the holocaust to make the point.

After thinking it over I believe this video means and dictates one own thought. It hits on many different political elements. It speaks a lot but I feel what it is mostly doing is creating an action/reaction conversation about discrimination and police states. With the over all lyrics saying "Born Free" it states we are all human, we are all born to live, we all have the right to be free and live life the way we want.

I think that the target of redheads was perfect to a degree because of the pop-culture affect of the "Ginger" it also highlights that people try looking for reasons to discriminate against others. This video is a perfect outlet to bring-up the conversation of discrimination in all aspects.

Do I think it was fair that it singled out redheads, no, but I don't think it would have been fair to single out any other group either and that is the point I see in this overall video and song. Let's all learn to love, accept and fight to have that freedom, because we are all born free. We are all human.

I feel that it can hit on many current events, such as the revolution in Libya, or on if muslim women in France can wear a burka. These issues can be discussed with this video. It is an alternate world that we are not used to seeing but by choosing redheads to discriminate against in the video does that completely alter their reality and could it cause discrimination against them like the "Ginger" episode of South Park did?

Struggle

2011-09-02T21:37:00.000-05:00

Being a poor young intelligent individual is tough. I always think I have a plan or solution to the chaos of life. My thought my be correct. I have great intentions, I try to make life happen and do things but then I always get into some sort of funk where I do nothing. I get lazy. I stop working out. I just sit around and bum around.

This could be due to the fact that when I am in my active state I stay active until pure exhaustion and then my bum state comes along for maybe a month or so. I start to get lazy and not care to do much besides go to work and go home and sleep all hours. It gets to the point where nothing is satisfying unless if it is late night boozing but even then that wears on my individual. I become fatigued, lost in thought, great thought, possibly the best thought of life but my laziness has won to the point where I don't write it down and it is lost forever.

I have been feeling like I was in that funk for a couple of weeks. I wasn't creating anything to happen in my life. No surprise, no big events, nothing to look forward to but the same monotonous day that just keeps occurring and then I think if this is how my eternal recurrence will be looking through the eyes of Nietzsche then I pray there better be a God. Although I know it is much more simple after life, there is nothing. I think about this and realize I must create. I must focus, I must live and not get trapped by any funk or financial digression. Part of living is to struggle but part of joy is overcoming these struggles and realizing that it is my life. Live it. Don't be defined by others, don't live to the expectations of society. Live each experience. Live each moment. Create a moment to be living in. Make things happen. Don't sit around waiting. Drown yourself in the sea.

I didn't see this part of me until I got my bike brakes fixed. I struggled cycling because I had to take some hills nice and slow, especially going down hill. I had to struggle. I couldn't brake, it was scary, possibly deathly but that was because of cars and traffic but if I could have kept going with out worrying about those other people it would have felt like freedom, satisfying. I am thankful I have brakes again and my bike. The extension to my life, the thing that make me feel the most free. The thing that grants my will. Sometimes it is a pain in the ass but that is freedom. I have to give myself some restrictions of complete freedom like having safety brakes but what I am learning now is to not always depend on safety brakes by depending on them to much you are constraining yourself causing a new struggle but a struggle that is trapping you. Creating a struggle that has no boundaries but a safety brake sounds better.

I missed seizing certain moments that could have been life changing. I wanted to see what will happen instead of doing. I am tired of waiting. I need to create, engage, live. I know I will struggle and get in other funks but I also know I am making things happen. It is not about having plans and goals for a future. Those things are nice, it is about the small things. Not knowing what you are going to do the next day but knowing you are going to do something. The things I currently do know that I am doing is that I am going to Lubbock to see the Nevada football game, I will be going to a Thrice concert and Niki (@missniki13) is visiting me for that, and I am taking the GREs. That is enough for me to know but I know this now I need to live in other ways. I need to create smaller random things and become more spontaneous from day to day.

Not Going Back to School

2011-08-25T18:03:00.000-05:00

It has hit me, finally. I am not in school. I haven't been now for 9 months almost to the day. I am not in school. It is so hard to believe. I am not going back. I am seeing these ads in stores and magazines of "back to school" sales. At my new job in the service industry my co-workers are talking about how they are starting school this week. The teachers at the local schools have been telling me as well. I went to a back-to-school party and I couldn't talk about classes that I am looking forward to or not looking forward to. I see all the free time I truly have.

What am I doing with my life? School has been the entirety of my life. A part of my mind was saying, "Alright. Adam, vacation from school is over" but I am still not going back to school. No matter what, I won't have to stress for hours upon hours about assignments. I have gone as far as creating my own class in my mind. Am I insane? Am I absurd? Neither. I am filling the void of having the passion of learning. I yearn to learn. The more I learn the more I see how much I truly do not know.

I am creating my own graduate school at the moment. I am self-teaching myself things I would never have dreamed of doing. I am an academic at heart. My eyes are wide open. It is time to enter the field that my heart is yearning for. It is time to learn. Struggle, do whatever but in my own means.

Yes I do plan on going to grad school still. In fact I am on the hunt for GRE books (My old ones are in a box in Reno somewhere). This is it. Time to master my own mind (Although I know it can truly never be mastered).

By the way to follow my journey of self-teaching Nietzsche read this blog.

Thank You Reminiscence

2011-08-16T21:38:00.002-05:00

I am not typically a person who lives constantly in my own past memories and endeavors but occasionally I have to reminisce. I have to dig deep and remember. Then I look at those memories and see how it has affected my life in some cases. Each one of those experiences is a part of who I am today. I may not have known it then but the present will and does define my future. I am not talking about destiny I am talking about how each experience affects me and creates my present character. These experiences rack-up and the more I have the greater my life. This is why I do not dwell upon experiences but today reminiscing happened, a lot of it happened.

It did start with a sill Facebook status game that I saw my mother and brother-in-law playing. Give me a year. My brother-in-law gave me the year 2001. This year was a very defining year for me. I was a young adolescent middle schooled puberty ridden boy. In-other-words I was awkward like all adolescents. This year was more than just that for me though this was the year when I left my rural roots to my urban life. I moved to the city that gave me experiences that shaped my life. I moved to Reno. The next 5 years, my teenage years were spent in that city drawing out the way I view the world, shaping my eye glasses and deciding what lens to look through to see Mother Earth for what she is.

I am not going to lie I was kind of an introvert during those years but slowly becoming more of an extrovert each year, then college made me an extreme extrovert. I think that was part of the small town life that I had been used to before I moved. I was extremely shy and probably awkward when I first arrived to my suburban sprawl middle school. I was still watching the Disney channel and catching Nickolodeon re-runs of Rug Rats, Doug and AHHHHH Real Monsters. Those good 90s cartoons I spent growing up watching. I met my oldest friend that year as well, Niki. She is very close to me. It is hard to believe that we have been friends for 10 years, a decade of memories and many more to come.

In 2001 I also broke both my arms, one in the Spring and the other one in the Fall. It was also the year that 9/11 happened a defining moment for the United States and a moment that probably helped shape my peace loving ways, well maybe not the event itself but the aftermath that took place. All of these memories from 2001 overwhelmed me.

Then another thing happened to me today. I had to reminisce even more. I got an Amazon package and it was supposed to be Zinc Oxide Powder so I can finish making my homemade deodorant but somehow it turned out to be Sandi Thom's album "Smile...It Confuses People." I am not sure how that happened but it did. I bought this album originally back in the summer of 2007 and somehow lost it but the song "I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers in my Hair)" is on this album. I had to listen to it because it is one of my favorite songs. This song has a very vivid memory of me driving around Reno to Hug High School for the Hilary Clinton event that took place that year (2007). I was driving my 1988 Camouflaged Suburban overfilled with the University of Nevada Young Democrats blasting that song. I am sure we looked ridiculous. A bunch of tree-hugging liberal hippies in a gas gosling camo SUV blasting worldly music, getting an endurance high because we were about to meet Hilary Clinton. That is what I call America and of course Reno Classy.

So that song brought back memories and it happened to be one about the Camo Suburban (Whose name was Tony). That suburban memory then took me back to high school memories but at the same time so did a movie I watched today. This movie was focusing on senior prom. Showing how some high schoolers struggle finding a date for Prom. I was very lucky when it came to that issue but little did I know at the beginning of my senior year that I would attend three Proms that year. I was just a debate nerd and theatre geek. The proms I went to I had a lot of fun. Even going with girls who at the beginning of my senior year were not my original choices. Some of them I didn't even realize it was going to happen. I went to my senior prom with my girl friend at the time, then I went to my tech school's prom with a friend who I met in middle school but hadn't talked to again until my senior year of high school because we went to different schools. Then I ended up going to Churchill County High School's prom with a fellow debate nerd. I felt like a ladies man. Shortly after Prom I would drive around town in that camo suburban and having road rage telling cars to "moooooooove your ass" (Moooing like a cow). That suburban also broke down on the Golden Gate bridge when I did a mission trip with my high school youth group.

Now that I look at all of these experiences that I reminisced upon I can now see how each one has formed a part of my character that I am today. A little red neck, a lot environmentalist, peace activist and I am single to mingle right now. Each one of those experiences just add to my personality.

Write This Way

2011-07-31T17:03:00.000-05:00

Recently I was asked "Why do you write?" I had to stop and think. I had to ask myself the same question. My mind went in fifty million different directions upon why I write but it all boiled down to one thing, happiness. I write because it makes me happy. I don't do it for anyone else, I do it for myself.

I know I am not the best writer in the world and nor do I try to say I am. I don't even say I am a good writer. I am an average writer but I enjoy it. I have passion for writing, sitting down and exploring my thoughts as they come. I don't proofread immediately before publishing blogposts, sometimes I didn't even proofread my college papers. Sometimes I never proofread. I have grammatical errors, typos, fragments and run-ons. I am pretty sure I have all basic problems in any first draft. Eventually I will do a copy edit. It could be two hours after finishing a thought to 10 days. I'll gloss it up eventually, more than likely after I shared it with people though.

I feel that writing is an art and that it is never complete. When writing I am always missing something. It is never perfect. I am a critic to myself and to others as well. I take the criticism. I strive to take that criticism and fix it in my writing style. The more I write the more I feel free. I am able to explore new thoughts and ideas. Change my style, create random metaphors. Make a sentence euphoric. I like to play around with things I write. Some of this art is beautiful to me, others end up in the waste basket or still in front of my friends' eyes. Some doesn't get shared. I am not sure what posses me to decide what doesn't get shared but like I said I write for myself.

I am constantly looking up new words, synonyms and antonyms to expand my vocabulary. Writing is constantly changing. Then new ideas from old ideas form and expand to create an even larger overall thought. Some of these thoughts become contradictory a paradox. It makes it art.

When I am in my writing zone, I have to get it down before I lose it. When I lose it, the thought never sounds as good as when I first had it. This is were the grammatical errors come alive to create part of the art. It shows that passion of that current thought. The thought was so grand and powerful that the thought couldn't make it all the way to paper because a new thought emerged and your poor hands can;t get it on paper fast enough. Eventually more will be added to finish a thought. That is the art or the thought will remain incomplete showing a new segment of the art that is being read.

Writing is always evolving. Nothing is a master piece, it cannot ever reach perfection. It can only increase. I feel that it is never finished. I try to capture it all but it still remains in thought. The words are never as clear as it was in mind. This is why I write. I write to write to add to collect. In order to write and continue writing and growing I read. I look at these other pieces of art and I try to figure out what I like about it to inspire more of my own art.

I write this way. Help perfect it but don't say it is wrong. Just write.

Helping a Friend in Need

2011-07-28T00:23:00.003-05:00

I have always been willing to help friends in need, all the time. It is like the Toy Story song You've Got a Friend in Me. It is a part of my soul. I think this is why I find myself in hour long conversations with the homeless and also those hours upon hours of phone calls being the friend that one can vent to, cry to, and sometimes I give great advice and other times I give shitty advice. What I know is that I am there for my friends. New friends, old friends, acquaintances. I feel that their stories are stories that I can empathize with and look at my life and reflect upon that notion.

Well today was one of those days when I was a damn good friend. I hardly know any people in Austin, but the ones I do, I feel close to. The friend I helped out today I met in Austin. However our common ground is Nevada. We have a lot of similarities and somehow during our undergrad years we never met one another but our circles definitely mingled. Some of my closest friends from Reno are friends with this particular person. That connection alone makes us great friends. It is a Nevada thing. I don't know how to describe it. I would do anything for Nevadans abroad. Being a Nevadan out of Nevada is hard work.

Anyway the reason why I am such a damn good friend is because I moved this persons apartment to storage. My friend is doing research out of the United States and their lease ends tomorrow. So I took care of the moving the rest of their stuff to storage. However the adventure doing this became unpredictable.

While living in Austin, I have taken a more green life by not having a car. In order to move stuff from the apartment to storage I borrowed my friend's car that I was helping. This car is a manual. I know how to drive a manual but I am not very good at it. I picked the vehicle up yesterday and as I was driving from North Austin to South Austin I hit rush hour traffic on the 35. I thought I was going to breakdown and cry because I fear traffic in Reno and now I am faced driving a manual vehicle in rush hour traffic in Austin. I swear the traffic here is like that in SoCal. I survived.

I then drove to the storage unit and filled out the lease. My friend will be able to take it over upon their arrival back to the States. I just needed to sign papers my friend took care of the payment and everything.

So today I woke-up, ate breakfast and went to Summermoon to drink coffee and write my earlier blogpost before heading over to the apartment to meet the movers. I got to the apartment, checked the mail. Re-read the e-mail I got from my friend and found the card that is going to be used to pay for the movers. I then directed the movers to take the rest of the furniture out of the apartment. We then headed to the storage unit. My friend's card wasn't activated, so I paid for the movers (thankfully I have become more frugal with my monies), no big deal. I will get paid back. I then went home to rest.

I then headed back to the apartment after rush hour traffic. Packed some smaller things into the car. Cleaned the apartment and went to the storage unit. I followed a vehicle in because I am that type of American. Impatient. I then unloaded the rest of the stuff. I then tried to leave the storage unit. The gate would not let me out. I was stuck. I called the office, no answer. SHIT ON ME. I waited for forty minutes for someone else to leave the unit so I could exit. During that time I learned that I could not get my friend's car into reverse.

I hate manual. I am never driving stick again. Only in cases of emergencies like this was today. I am not sure if I can count the amount of times that I killed that car in first. It is always that gear. I hate first gear with a passion and even more so when I got stuck behind the gated storage units for forty minutes. However, my friend is out of their apartment. I just have to turn the keys in tomorrow. I think I will be taking the bus (I still gotta fix that damn flat tire on my bike).

The Journey Changes

2011-07-27T13:24:00.001-05:00

It is hard to believe that I have been in Austin now for about 4 1/2 months and my journey here has changed completely. My lease ends at the end of September. My wonderful government job has ended. I am finding myself with a plentiful amount of free time. I have enough saved up for rent for the next two months. Then what????

I made that destiny change for myself. My original plan was to move forward and move to Washington DC. I would do the couch surf and stay on couches with friends who are struggling and some who are making it in that city as I attempt to get a a job on the Hill. After discovering new things about myself, I am taking a new journey. I am following my spirit. It may be stupid but I am young, I have nothing holding me anywhere (except for a lease).

I thought of a few things I could do. I could go and buy a backpack and a plane ticket to So Cal and start the Pacific Crest Trail until it gets to cold to continue on and find a small Sierra Nevada town to hang out in until the spring, then continue my journey. (This one appeals so much to me and the PCT is on my bucket-list). However, I was more reasonable, I realized I was in an amazing bad ass city at the moment and by working full-time I haven't been able to explore all the perks of live music and other fun adventurous things to do that Austin has to offer.

Shannon just moved here and I am starting to find more like minded people in this city. So I had to follow my spirit. I applied for a job at Starbucks. This is the story of how that went. Last week I applied for a Starbucks position because I knew I would be laid-off soon. I then got an interview at Starbuck for the following Friday. The day before my interview my boss informed me that Friday morning all of the temp employees will be told that they are going to be let go. I went to my interview on Friday after finding out I was laid-off. I nailed the interview. I then jumped on my bike and cycled back to work. I popped a tube on my way to work. KARMA! I then got off work and changed my tube, then headed downtown to watch Adestria and other bands play a show. On my way downtown I popped the brand new tube I just changed. DOUBLE KARMA. I then worked for the feds the next two days flipping out that I hadn't heard back from Starbucks yet. Finally Sunday evening I got a call and was offered a job. I started on Monday. So I went to my fed job, then to Starbucks. On my way to Starbucks I popped another damn tube (I haven't fixed this one yet).

Karma she is telling me something not sure what it is yet.

The idea of working for Starbucks is actually quite exciting. I can essentially live anywhere that Starbucks has a location and ask for a transfer. I was preparing to throw random cities in a hat and ask for a transfer for whatever city I pull out of the hat. Instead destiny occurred. I got a text from Deisa asking me to move to Seattle with her in December.

Seattle = Starbucks = I must get a transfer. This is destiny and my spirit taking me there. For the next few months I am going to work my ass off in my new world of baristahood and get a transfer to Seattle. From there I am hoping to work my up into the corporate ladder.

Yes, I know my plan in life changes all the time. That is who I am. A dreamer. I dream big, I follow some, I do irrational things such as randomly packing up my belongings and going. I LOVE IT. The one thing that Austin has been teaching me is to do more of these adventurous things. I am not 100 percent ready to start a career and get roots somewhere. I want adventure, I want change, I want to see the world (at the least the United States). I can't help it. I feel that there is more to life than that 9-5 job that my education is suppose to get me. I blame this blogpost, actually I don't blame I thank.

I might be absurd, it could be from all of the Kerouac reading I have done or other similar writers (not all of them are beatniks). These writings speak to me. They show me that life is worth living and traveling. Not stationing yourself in one location forever. So I am happy to say I am going to move to Seattle.

My steps of getting there are

1: Extend my lease until the end of November

2: Learn as much about the Starbucks corporation as possible

3: Become a kick-ass barista

4: Never stop trying

5: Allow changes to happen

If I can't get my lease to extend then my plan will change, I will find a place to sublet for two months or I will go to Reno and sleep on Deisa's couch until we are ready to pack-up our bags and hit the road for Seattle. It is very interesting to see where my journey has taken me so far throughout life and I am still at the beginning of it.

So far my life has been rural Nevada, urban Nevada, Interior Alaska, urban Nevada, Central Texas and now it is headed to the Pacific Northwest. I am scared but excited at the same time. In the meantime as well, since I have downtime again it is the perfect time to start studying for the GRE. So my life is even more becoming coffee, reading, writing, listening to live music, having an occasional drunken excursions, cycling and what not.

Dreamer in a coffee shop

2011-07-19T17:39:00.000-05:00

This is what I am, a dreamer in a coffee shop. I come-in and sit, I wait. I never seem to know what I am waiting for anymore but I still wait.

I keep waiting to the point where I just have to leave because I am tired of waiting. It is like being stood-up on a date because you waited for so long.

I still don't know what I am waiting for. Maybe for my dreams to come true, love, a friend, someone from my past, a ghost, who knows.

As I wait I begin to go on these adventurous day dreams. Some of them are lost in a fantastical thought of fighting evil with Frodo or Harry Potter to the evil that is in my heart.

I still wait...am I waiting for evil or for life? So I create an image of where I will be in 15 years about to hit the age 40. I ask am I on the right track? I do not know.

Well it finally came to me today. I wait for nothing because nothing is what I fear. Instead I allow those dreams to come because those dreams aren't nothing they are something. I am done waiting for you nothing, so stop trying to come.

Instead I am taking a new journey and I will continue to follow that spirit of mine where ever it guides me. If my spirit wants to do something I shall follow, I shall conquer, I shall live.

Stupid Piece of Plastic That I Need

2011-07-16T21:37:00.001-05:00

There is nothing scarier in the world than waking up the next morning to....

Realizing that your wallet is not in fact safely tucked away on the clear spot that is designated for said wallet. "Oh shit" comes to mind, "I could have sworn I had it." Then the hustle of jumping out of bed in a dead panic; I find that this works better than my actual alarm that goes off nearly 15 times every morning. I can't help but scurry over to the pair of shorts that I wore the day before to check that left back pocket. The wallet is still missing.

"Where to look next," is what comes to mind "The kitchen". Still no wallet. I am in shock that I lost the one thing that is probably more essential to my life than my iPhone. The item that contains more than my credit cards but the card that is my identity. "My ID is gone," I panted in a dead panic. Not having that stupid piece of plastic that proves I am a person was missing. It is a government photo ID that I need to access just about anything and the only way I can replace it is going back to the state of Nevada because I am currently residing in Texas or that means to stop being a Nevadan and become a Texan. That ID card is who I am. I am Nevadan and I want to keep my identity of being a Nevadan abroad.

I had to think. I thought. The last place I remember having my wallet was on the bus ride home because I had to swipe my bus pass which was in my wallet. I then had to think what else was in that wallet of mine. Credit cards, debit cards, health care cards, $15 cash, you know nothing important. I thought even more. I must have been pick pocketed because I was standing on this particular bus.

This was time for major flip-out mode but it still needed to wait because I had to get to work and if I panic much more I will be late. So I jumped on my bike, even with my leg that I knew was hurting from pushing myself to hard cycling, with my mind on my wallet I didn't care that my leg was in pain. My emotional pain was far greater.

I got to work and decided to call Capital Metro's lost and found. The kind woman said that they will not know the items lost the day before until 3:00 pm. Stress hits even more. Do I cancel my cards or keep an eye on my accounts. Some of my co-workers including the bossman suggested canceling, however, I went with my gut and just checked my bank balance every 20 minutes.

Finally thinking that I was going to have to get a new ID I called the Nevada DMV to find out if there was a way to get a duplicate ID. They said yes but it will have no picture. "NO PICTURE ID, WTF?" is what I thought. That probably won't let me buy beer, let alone get me on a flight. However if I had to, I would.

I was almost to the point of making copies of the paper photocopy of my ID to post around saying "WANTED: Adam K. Allen ID." I rationalized and decided to follow the advice that another coworker suggested, call back Capital Metro and see if I can be put in contact with the bus driver. BINGO!!!! It worked. My wallet was found. After waiting impatiently all day I went and picked up this good of mine.

I opened my wallet to see the damage. There was none. My cash was even still sitting in the billfold. All what I could say is the people of Austin are amazing and truthful. This is such a kind city. I definitely racked in on good karma, but then again in a capitalist society there is a price for everything. My price for my wallet being retrieved in perfect condition was pulling my damn hamstring from pushing myself to far. I am still not sure if it was worth-it but then again the world works in a mystery way and I now have a new experience. It could have gone worse, I could have no wallet and a pulled hamstring.

Dear Katherine

2011-07-06T15:25:00.000-05:00

An interesting night occurred at one of the bars I frequent here in Austin. This bar is called Kung Fu Lounge. This bar has really grown on me. A place where I can and just relax and have a happy hour pint on a Monday night (My Friday but happy hour is all night). It is typically a pint of Fireman's 4, a Texas beer. This particular night I was feeling up to talking to strangers and getting to meet new people who enjoy this local hang out as much as I do.

Z and I gathered around the life size connect four where two gals and a gent were playing. I asked if I could play winner. They naturally agreed. Myself hoping that the ladies would win and allow Z and I to work our charm. The lesson learned here is that before you call winner make sure that the male opponent is not a physicist because you are bound to play a physicist, who can literally kick your ass at life size connect four in about 8 moves and you will not have one on one time with the ladies.

It felt that the universe was just working against us that night because later on Z and I were the back-end of what seemed to be a joke that would occur in high school. We left the patio and decided to sit on a bench in the bar. We were deep in our normal philosophical debate about other dimensional worlds and the process of the world speeding up for a global evolutionary process, how mother Earth is giving birth to a new world (Yes I know we are nerds and then some). All of a sudden a beautiful gal who is out of both of our leagues came-up and was like "Hi guys how are you" and then asked if she can sit in between us. Z and I are pretty laid back so it was no big deal until we could tell it was awkward for her and her friends took a picture and she proceeded to leave.

My extravert drunkself afterwards realized that we were some part of a practical joke. So I went up to her, Katherine the Kung Fu Whore, and said "It's Katherine right? So, what was the dare?" This made her and her friends realize the petty immature individuals they are. I hope that they grow-up one day. I have been out of high school way to long to be the end of a practical joke, so I had to call them out on it. Something I would have never of done in my extremely nerdy 15-year-old self when I was at the end of a joke, instead I made their joke the real joke.

I learned a lot about myself and I am learning to stand-up for myself even more than ever. I can now reflect on myself even more and just call people out on the hateful things they do for their own amusement. This is a tool that the universe felt I need to know for whatever I am to endure in my future. Don't fuck with Adam K. Allen.

Family Matters

2011-06-18T16:57:00.000-05:00

I have always told myself that I should experience as much as I can in my life. Some of my experiences have been great and others have not been so great. However in that last few weeks I have come to a spot in my life where the two just blend together.

I took a quick vacation home and I enjoyed myself a lot while I was home. Seeing my friends and family. It felt like home...happiness...sadness...excitement...depression...drama...fun...life. All of my experiences that I have had at that point in my life all meeting in one spot, home. The emotion I felt was one that I have never felt before. It was surreal. The entire time I was there I realized how much my life is up in the air and then home felt empty and lonely. I had to reflect on a lot and remember why I was there. Just in my short time being away from Reno more has changed than I could ever imagine. It showed me that life continues on no matter what. That home has been evolving just like I have as a person discovering new experiences in Austin.

One experience I had in Austin that I would never have been able to experience in Reno was winning VIP tickets to the premier of Spielberg's new TV series Falling Skies, a sci-fi show that focuses on what it means to be a family and not so much on the aliens. It appears that it will be a good show. It also made me realize that no matter what I try to do all of that emotion I felt in Reno is because of family.

My family is by-far not perfect but we aren't extremely dysfunctional either. We are family. We have rough times and good times. They are the constant reminder of why I live and what I fight for. We may not see everything eye to eye but they will always support the decisions I make. This is where I feel that my family is special. We may not like the decisions but I feel that we will support the decisions that we make. Then I realized this is part of a facade as well. To good to be true. If we don't support a decision we speak-up loud and clear. We speak our minds. We give one another heartbreak but in the end we know that we are family.

This experience of learning is the blender of good and bad experiences. Looking at it like a smoothie, adding random ingredients that may not sound like they taste good with one another but it turns out to be the best damn smoothie. That is life, making the most of it.

Raw Food

2011-05-30T15:21:00.000-05:00

Alright so I told everyone that I was going to write a blog about raw food. I have decided to try going on a permanent raw food diet. This is very difficult. Some of my favorite things in the world are considered cooked. Such as coffee. I succeeded in the raw food diet for a total of 2.5-days.

I then saw my pasteurized dairy sitting in the fridge and was like, I need to eat that before it goes bad. After-all I did spend hard working income on these products. There are many things that the pure raw food diet would not allow me to have. Not just coffee, pasteurized dairy but I also would have to say good bye to most other beverages.

Essentially I have decided that I will be more of a faux raw foodie by adding more raw veggies into my vegetarian diet. Instead of sautéing veggies for my pasta dishes I will add them in raw. I decided that it is my own personal diet and that I don't need to live by other peoples standards or guidelines. I will continue drinking my coffee and doing my own thing.

For those who don't know much about the idea of eating raw food it comes from science that you get more and better nutrients from food that is raw. In broccoli you get the amino acids that help prevent cancer but once the broccoli is cooked past 117 degrees F those amino acids have been cooked out. Each food raw has something along those lines. Part of the philosophy also discusses by eating life you allow life to flow through you.

One restriction I am putting on myself though is to eat purely raw for 3 days in a row each month for a cleansing. I also told myself to be creative with pure raw food meals. One of the meals that I have already created and was so tasty is a spinach salad with mashed up berries for the dressing and sliced almonds. The more creative I can get by cooking raw the easier it will be.

Wish me luck on this new endeavor.

Routines

2011-05-17T14:10:00.000-05:00

I am finally starting to get myself into a new routine and feeling more settled-in in Austin now. I have been finding my new local hangouts where I can be myself. Hammer out a poem or a short-story and write my blogs. I also feel comfortable just reading. Depending on my mood and my location in town also has been determining where I will be going for coffee or a glass of wine.

Not only in that aspect of settling-in I have been starting a routine of days that I will ride my bike to work and days I will take the bus. On the days I take the bus I typically go on a long bike ride after work. I have always enjoyed cycling and did it quite a bit at home but it is now becoming a part of my regular routine. If I don't get to go cycling I feel like I am having an off day.

That is how the last few days have been feeling because I popped my or according to what Olivia (@goberthicks) read on twitter I "pooped" my tire on Sunday. I will be fixing my bike today so it will all be better. I am really enjoying the routine I am starting to master. I go out on Monday nights (it is my Friday night). Then Tuesday's I find myself sleepinging going to a coffee shop and reading/writing or I will hang out with Zach. Last week we went on a pretty sweet hike through Barton Springs well I should say nature walk because I hike has a huge

elevation change in a mile. We did come across the emphasis rock tower though. Which is always fun.

Then on Sunday when I popped my tire we headed to Zilker park to watch Shakespeare's "Love's Labour's Lost". That performance was amazing. It made me miss being a part of a theatre. I kept thinking, I need to get involved with a community theatre. I tried to do a search for community theatre auditions in Austin and for the summer they either require singing (which I will not attempt to do ever again). Or the schedule doesn't work with my work schedule which is a major bummer. I figured I could keep looking until something comes up. I was also thinking I could volunteer on the tech side. I do have some worries about getting involved in theatre again though. Well not about the involvement but the fact that I haven't been involved in any type of theatre since I was in high school. Unless you consider my theatre 101 class as involvement.

Another routine I am also getting settled into or will be is that I finally got a gym membership in Austin. I decided to go with Gold's Gym because it is close to my house and I also know when I move again from Austin to my next location, where ever that maybe, I am sure I will have a friend who is a Gold's Gym member.

Essentially my life is becoming reading, writing, coffee shops, cycling, a few bars, philosophical discussions while drinking, cooking dinner (which means grocery shopping on Wednesdays), Poetry slam, live music and not having enough money to do all I want to do, oh and 1990s television (don't ask).

Rediscovering the Old and/or Finding the New, and other random thought because of my wine

2011-05-03T17:58:00.000-05:00

I sit here at Cork and Co. enjoying a wine flight that includes Primarious Pinot Noir from Oregon, Kali Heart Pinot Noir from Santa Lucia, California and Lamelson Pinot Noir from Williamette, Oregon. As I sip down these different wines I can't help but let my mind wander. I have been in Austin for about a month-and-a-half now and already I am seeing changes in my life I wouldn't have dreamed about having. During my time here so far I have been reminding myself of pleasures that I have long forgotten in the present, such as some of the music I listened to in high school (like "The Dead Kennedy's"). I am also learning that I do miss the talent of film I have. The culture in Austin is quite amazing. I can always find something going on in the city (with the exception of Monday nights, they are a drag I must say). In someways there is to much going on in this city I can't handle it.

What I am learning new about myself is to do things alone. My entire life I always have had someone with me. I know it is not co-dependency it is more the fact that I am a very extrovert type of person. I love to surround myself around people. I have always known that fact. What I didn't know is that I don't have to have someone with me to go do stuff. The alone factor is what I am talking about. The things I am accomplishing and struggling with I am doing alone. I am looking at society and saying, "who cares if I go to a concert by myself, I am here for the music not the company." This is the same with movies as well. It felt awkward going to a movie by myself but I hate those who talk during a movie, going by oneself you are less likely to talk.

Don't worry though I am not alone in this city. I am not as surrounded by as many friends that I had been surrounding myself with in the past (which is not a bad thing either, I do miss all of my friends from Reno). Instead I am surrounding myself with a very few and learning a deeper philosophical view about the world. My conversations I have are by far the most intellectual conversations I have had yet. These conversations are so deep and meaningful that it does make questioning a more constant theme in my life. Although I go back to my intellectual roots and stick to my beliefs but it is opening up my mind even more and giving myself different insights and perspectives.

Overall this city is full of so many different surprises that almost anything I do or go to I think of someone who would fall in love with it. Whether it is live music at one of the many music venues or a rare video showing at the Alamo Draft House to some bizarre, or in Austin's words, weird event going on. To hearing about the homeless transvestite mayor candidate Leslie stories. I also learned that you are considered an Austin local once you have a Leslie story of your own.

At the same time I am reminded that I am from the desert. In fact I read a blog from a teacher I had a few years back in college and it spoke so true. He talked about how those few of us in the world that grow-up in the Nevada desert, specifically Reno are able to go on and do great things, that Reno breeds talent. While I am sitting here at this bar I can't help but reflect on this blog posting and think that he is ever so correct. People in Austin ask me all the time where my accent is from and I am never more proud to say that I am from Reno.

That is another thing I have learned about myself. After living in Reno for pretty much half of my life (but Nevada my entire life), that is where my roots are and will remain. I love that little city more than words can describe. I am a desert rat, I love the smell of the sage and I am damn proud to be from what some people described here as "that shit hole town." I can't help but smile and say "yes that 'shit hole town' that you apparently didn't visit the correct way." I always ask what they did when they where in Reno and they say something along the lines of "Circus Circus, Nugget" and I respond "Oh the the casinos, no wonder why you think it is a shit hole." I then tell them about the other side of Reno, my side of Reno, the outdoors, Lake Tahoe, the desert. I tell them if Reno is such a shit hole but you like me as a person (most of them do) I explain that Reno is a part of my personality. All of those classy things you love that I do is RenoClassy. I make them reflect on the shit hole and tell them to give it another chance. To understand Reno and see Reno the way I do, not the way of the casino that a lot of our parents work at. To see it for the individuals that Reno produces. I am damn proud of my hometown but as I have learned from my teacher I can be proud but I must let my talent explore the world and do something greater but also when or if I fail I know that that desert will be calling my name where I can shine.

A Surprise At Home

2011-04-21T23:06:00.000-05:00

I decided to blog about tonight instead of tweeting the amazingness of what is my new home and roommates. As many of you know I finally bought a bike in Austin, it isn't everything I wanted but it is doable. It is a 2005 Schwinn hybrid bicycle. It does have some rust spots. It is not in perfect shape but very doable. Also I am back on my bike which means I can start-up my training again for a century (eventually I will do one, just not sure where yet).

Anyway enough rambling on, going back to tonight. I got off work and then called Zach to see if we are going to partake in the social bike ride that happens in Austin every Thursday night, we decided to postpone until next week. So I jumped on my bike and started cycling home. My roommates did warn me that Austin is very bike friendly but not in South Austin (where I work and live). The drivers do not share the road or anything because all of my cycling gear is in Reno I had to get some new stuff on my way home, especially after I was almost ran off the road by a vehicle. So I went off to the store and bought a helmet, lights and a lock. I then cycled home.

Once I got home there where tons of people at my house this was a surprise. My roommates didn't warn me about the BBQ that we had taking place with the co-workers from my roommate who builds nature trails in Texas. We had all vegetarian meals, which stoked me. We made fresh mojitos and had a great time. We had a nice fire pit going where we grilled veggie kabobs and veggie burgers and I got to hang out with other very like minded people. Many of them are back to the woods tomorrow for the next 11 days but it was fun. Just wanted to share.

The "Absurd man" and Synchronicity

2011-03-30T14:47:00.000-05:00

I am 22-years-old. I know you know this but I am 22-years-old. Sometimes being in this body of a 22-year-old feels like the distance between Earth and Mars but with my soul instead. I have so many qualities of a 22-year-old but also I have other qualities that some have described to me as being way to wise for my age. Some of this could come from the Karma cycle that I am an old soul. That is if I where to believe in having a soul and not my atheistic existential way. However could my atheism and existentialism honestly be the fact that I am 22-years-old or do I have it right on the money making me wiser.

Part of this discussion I have created in my mind is a friend was talking to me about Synchronicity. I am no expert on this philosophical idea, I have only read the wikipedia article. However my friend is reading this work by Jung (he plans on lending it to me one day). This idea has been playing and totting to my mind. It is creating an ever larger reflection upon my life and beliefs.

Some of this reflecting is allowing myself to face some of my fears that I am growing-up and becoming an adult. This is a dream that all little kids have of "I want to be (fill-in-the-blank) when I grow-up". However the reality of growing-up is somewhat scary. Every choice you make will have some kind of consequence and a new experiences. The question that Synchronicity poses is that some choices you make could be related to another persons mind. That two different incidents of "bumping" into another person in two different locations or two different periods in your life means something more than coincidence.

At 22-years-old I am starting to see the meaning of synchronicity taking place in the consequences of choices that I have made. That there is more to life than "42" or that Kierkegaard was more on track with the "absurd man" especially when totting synchronicity into the idea. This is just an invisible scratch on glass that my mind is going to with the "absurd man" and synchronicity. There is so much more to how synchronicity affects the "absurd man" and vice-versa.

I am not sure where this blog post was actually going to originate because I went off of my overall topic and into my mind boggling thoughts instead. Eventually I will blog about what I was actually meaning to blog about. Until then continue thinking and continue reading more about the philosophers I discussed.

Searching for a new home

2011-03-25T20:10:00.000-05:00

Searching for the right place to live is quite difficult, especially in an unfamiliar city. You just don't know what is considered a good neighborhood or a rough neighborhood. I discovered both. After reading multiple craigslist ads and posting craigslist ads I finally came to a decision.

This decision was quite tough but I am obviously happy with the one I chose. I thought the first place I was going to walk into would be the one. Zach told me not to rush myself that I need to look at more than one place and boy was he right.

This actually being my first "real home search" in Reno it had always been easy, I just talked to my friends and discovered who needed a roommate and BAM I got a roommate and a place to live. However finding a roommate via craigslist is a much more interesting thing. Especially when people don't put details about themselves just the space available. This is never a good thing because you should no a little something about the people you are about to live with.

There where some people whose spots I looked at and it was a nice pad but not the right fit for me personality wise and age wise (yes I know you shouldn't discriminate on age but if I wanted to live with middle-aged people I would chose my parents and aunties). So I rolled them out.

Another pad I looked at was a great spot but it was a little bit on the pricey end for me. The two I had narrowed it down to had amazing opportunity for roomies, I got along with all of them great. In fact the place I decided on I decided to look at after I thought I made up my mind. This was the best decision I could have made because not only is it not an apartment (an actual house) it is also cheaper and I feel that it is in a safer neighborhood.

I felt really bad telling the other guy that I was no longer interested but some of the decision making points was once I read reviews about the apartment complex. ALL of the reviews where horrible and negative (they did just get new management but we all know that story). The most recent review even dissed the new management so I decided it wasn't the spot for me. As people for future roomies I was torn so I had to look at economic factors and location factors and style factors. The house prevailed in all aspects.

So my new house has chickens, a furnished bedroom, close to bus routes but still feels suburban, close to a farmers market and grocery store and it is overall amazing!

I know I made the right decision and it is about time I can say "I am not homeless in Austin". I may be "Lost in Austin" which is a different story but the link might help you understand. Having a composer as a friend *cough* Amy (@amylauder) *cough* makes story telling more interesting.

The first 40 hours

2011-03-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

Well I have completed that first 40 hour work week. Let me tell you it is exhausting. I have never quite understood the brutality of 40 hour work week because most of my jobs that I have had in the past would allow me to either leave the office or I would have multiple part time jobs that gave me air from one job to another. This time is different, I am in the same building everyday for 8 hours. I bring my lunch and eat lunch in the cafeteria or break room. I can walk outside for my breaks but the humidity is a killer so I choose to stay inside, especially because I will endure a beautiful hour long walk home. As you can see in the photo. This is normally the best part of the day walking through the neighborhood dubbed as "Travis Heights" to get to Zach's apartment (I do not have my own yet, I am still sleeping on a couch).

Other than that my job is quite great. In no means relaxing but it is pleasant. I am able to listen to my iPod while I do my work so it is great to have all of that music. I have currently been trying to find an app so I can listen to the Rockies games as well while I partake in the ever repetitiveness of pulling files or refiling. The DRU (Document Retrieval Unit) is based out of a warehouse full of files and that is where I work or shall I say hide in the files.

I have been learning a lot and I wish I could discuss other parts of my job but the files obtain classified information therefore I cannot. Even if I could all what I am concerned about is the file number and not what is in the document nor do I have the desire to see what is in the document. My biggest concern is to have the most amount of volume. This is my competitive edge coming about I must strive to have the best numbers. I am very determined to receive an outstanding evaluation. This is where I appreciate my music because it helps me get in the flow and work quicker.

This week has been so jam packed of learning new information about my job and learning about Austin while trying to find a place to live walking distance to work (I know I can ride the bus but as you can see from the image it is a beautiful walk.) I have explore 6th street a couple of nights this week with Jeana (@j_ber) and her friend Lyn that she was in town visiting. This week was even more intense because South by Southwest (sxsw) was going on so I had to go to a few events such as The Strokes concert.

Other than that I will be looking at an apartment tomorrow and hopefully I will like the set-up and possible future roomies and be able to move-in sometime this week!

Traveling to Austin

2011-03-16T16:45:00.000-05:00

So yet again I am trying to start to blog again. Eventually I will make it regular, especially because I am no longer in the same city as all of my friends. For those who do not know I just accepted a job in Austin with the Department of Treasury. It is a temporary 6 month job. By accepting this job I am now living in Austin, TX. I just arrived today but the trip getting to Austin was hellacious. Let's start from the beginning but with a quick timeline

December 4, 2010 - I graduated with my dual degree in Communication and Political Science and a minor in Journalism.

December 15, 2010 - I began applying for government jobs

Monday, February 28, 2011 - Received a call to be interviewed/fingerprinted in Austin

Tuesday, March 1, 2011 - Flew to Austin

Wednesday, March 2, 2011 - Interviewed

Thursday, March 3, 2011 - Flew home

Now I can tell the story on Friday, March 11, 2011 I got a phone-call offering me a position with the Department of Treasury. The position is to exceed no more than 180 days (6 months). I accepted it. I then was informed the beginning date of my tour is Thursday, March 17, 2011 (tomorrow). So I called up BRP and Big 5 told them the news and informed them apologetically that Sunday will be my last day of work because I accepted a professional job in Austin.

I began to pack-up my stuff. I decided that none of my furniture will becoming with me. So I moved it into storage by the help of Frank. Niki (@nclinger) called and asked if she could road trip down with me to Austin in my 1990 Volvo that we nicknamed Icee (because it does horrible in ice). I naturally said yes.

The first thing I loaded into Icee was my Columbia Trail Head mountain bike. I then loaded up my clothing, pantry, movies, photos, shot glasses (from all over the country) and etc. Thanks to Rachel (@xorachel) she helped me pack Icee nice and full.

Niki and I hit the road monday morning at 5:30 a.m. We made good time to Las Vegas. Where we met my current/old roommate Neesha (@neshiii) for lunch at Panera Bread. We then filled the tank up at Costco. We then checked all of the fluids, oil was fine, the coolant had a weird color but we weren't to concerned because the car hadn't overheated or anything. I decided that I would change out all of the coolant when we arrive in Phoenix for the night.

So we jumped back onto the freeway and headed out of Vegas to Boulder City. Then the car began to overheat. We pulled over (happened to pull onto a street that a mechanic was on) and the engine began to smoke. We sat there debating what to do. We decided to get the car looked at. The mechanic ran a diagnostic on Icee and informed us that we blew a head gasket and they can't do anything with the car until the next morning. They gave us an estimate that it will cost around $1500 to fix it. I only paid $1000 for Icee. The mechanic said because we are travelers they wouldn't let us make a payment plan but if I have the title on me if we decided not to get the car fixed that they will take the car off our hands (for free of course).

Niki and I then got a hotel room and began to brainstorm how to get us the rest of the way to Austin. We looked into U-Haul and trailers to move the car, rental cars, Grey Hound and flying. You name it we looked into it. We were on a time crunch because I have to report for work at 9 am Thursday morning.

After a ton of deliberation and phone calls and figuring stuff out. We had a plan to rent a car and give the mechanic Icee. Toni (@toni_vegas) picked us up and drove us to the Vegas Airport. We got their and we couldn't rent a car. So we went back to Boulder City and slept. The next morning I made the decision that we were going to fly. Sara (@saraxmazing) got us in contact with her parents to pick us up from Boulder City and take us to their place and let me store all of my things there. Sara is going to pick my stuff up in a few weeks and take it back to Reno.

So I bought my plane ticket and resigned the fact that Icee will not be mine. Niki and I walked to the mechanic to look for the title of the car and I couldn't find it. STRESSED OUT BREAKDOWN AGAIN!!!!! I then began to research impoundment laws and we discovered if I just abandon the car I could get a warrant out for my arrest and destroy my credit. So we began brainstorming whose house we could tow it to in order to store until I get a new title for us to salvage the car. After more frantic phone calls Amy (@scmzeller) convinced her parents to allow this to happen.

I then called Mr. Benedict (my mentor in everything) to talk about what is going on. As we ended this conversation it dawned on me the the title is in a box (not my files) in the car. I went back and found it. After a hallelujah Niki and I explored Boulder City until Sara's parents where able to rescue us.

We found an amazing wine bar and did a wine flight to debrief again. Sara's dad picked us up. We loaded his truck. I signed over my title and we went to Vegas. Got more drinks and ate dinner. Sara's parents then lent me two very large suitcases to allow me to pack up my clothes. Then they dropped me off at the airport the next morning for me to arrive in Austin and Niki to arrive in Reno.

I spent a ton of money getting here but I made it. I have my clothes and the rest of my stuff I do not know when I will see it again (hopefully soon). My plan is to find an apartment walking distance from work and to move forward. These past few days have been very stressful but I survived and now I am not stressed about finding a place to live because that seems easy to do now.

How Twitter Saved My Phone

2010-01-18T20:09:00.000-06:00

Well as many of you know recently I had to get a new phone number. I have also been talking for awhile to write this blog post about how twitter saved my phone. I finally decided to stop being lazy and write this blog.

Towards the end of last semester. The day after the Santa Pub Crawl, which was absolutely amazing. I had to start working on a German group assignment. My group was meeting-up with each other at the Highlands. Myself being extremely hungover had to call a group member to walk me to the correct apartment because I had no idea where it was. While we were talking on the phone I saw him and hung up. We headed into his apartment to get started on the project. At some point we went on a beer run. I didn't drink with them because I was so hungover from the Santa Pub Crawl. Anyway after the beer run I realized that my phone was missing. We looked and looked and looked for it everywhere. We called it and it went straight to voicemail. I figured it would because I hadn't charged it yet.

I finally decided it was a lost cause. Well then about 10 pm that night I was chilling on g-chat when all of a sudden @saraxmazing sent me a message stating something like "OMG Adam someone just tweeted from your phone." I had to look at my twitter page and I saw the tweet. It stated something along the lines of "If you know whose phone this is and how to get a hold of this person tell them to call it." So I called my phone. Went and picked it up from the Highlands. I decided that I must have dropped it or something like that.

When I picked up my phone I was thinking damn I must have a weak password on my BlackBerry if they were able to tweet from my phone. So I went up to the door to retrieve my phone from those peeps. As I walked to their apartment it smelled like they were hot boxing the entire apartment.

I looked through my phone and they completely reset my phone. So when they tweeted from my phone they had no idea what this 40404 number was that kept sending them random text messages. It was hilarious. I am thankful I follow certain peeps on my phone or they would have kept it and twitter just freaked those pot head stoners out.

The story gets interesting the next day though because you all are wondering "Adam you have your phone back but that doesn't explain the new number"

Now I shall explain that. I was in class all day the next day and my phone just kept ringing off the hook. I didn't recognize any of the numbers yet because I had done the back-up on my BlackBerry from my computer yet. Once I checked my voice mail all of the messages where off the hook weird' One said "I am just calling you back about that pokemon ball"

I was explaining this to my mother who works and substance abuse. The minute I said pokemon ball she said "You are getting a new phone number right now." It made no sense to me but I went ahead and got the new number. I asked my mother why and she informed me that a pokemon ball is 6 hits of meth.

So essentially drug dealers or druggies stole my phone, where extremely high as fuck, the 40404 twitter number scared the living hell out of them so they tweeted from my phone and then I got it back. That is how twitter saved my phone. Thank you twitter.

Glued Together By Food And Politics

2009-09-10T02:02:00.000-05:00

Hello Readers! So this blog is actually a paper I just wrote about discovering my culture. It is a paper I had to write for my Intercultural Communications class. Hope you like it.

Glued Together By Food And Politics

You want to know who I am? Where I came from? What my culture is? Why my culture is the way it is? Then I suppose that we need to start by letting you know that I am an American. I don’t like being called anything else. People always ask, “What is your heritage?” My answer will never change, “I am American, but my ancestors come from Whales, Ireland, England, France, Scotland and America.” Many people like to believe that culture is where your ancestors come from, but it isn’t. My family on my paternal side came to America in 1620 and the rest were natives. My family on my maternal side came to America in the early 1700s. This is why I say I am an American because my family was among the first settlers. I do identify my culture more so on my maternal side.

The glue of my culture is food and politics. This holds my family together, even the extended side of the family that lives in various places in the United States. Our family also consists with a revolving door; we accept strays, those friends who have no other family than that at my father’s dinner table. Most of my family conversations take place while the ladies are cooking and everybody else is gathered around waiting to eat. Mother or one of the Aunts is always yelling at someone to stop picking at their ingredients as they are preparing for a meal. Our meals always differ from one another. We eat very diverse meals. One day it could be steak and potatoes for those in my family who eat meat. A few of us, myself included, are vegetarian. The next day we could be eating tofu and beans. One thing for sure is that the ingredients in our meals never get boring. Our meals are never mundane so we see know reason to eat out. We love our home cooked meals from scratch.

The conversation while cooking and eating tends to always be family gossip such as who is fighting with whom or who is getting married/divorced, etc. If we aren’t gossiping about each other then we are talking politics and that is the one topic that we all mostly agree.

Politics in my family is multi-generational. We are all very opinionated and our opinions tend to be on the more liberal side of politics. Ever since I can remember my family has always taught us that it is our civic duty to participate in the American democracy. We have also been taught to show respect to the President of the United States regardless of political party; that was until George W. Bush won his second term. There are a few members in the family that are republican; we accept it and most of the time we let them eat.

Through these conversations of politics my family has I learned that being politically active is one of my greatest passions. Having this passion I was eager to learn more. During the 2004 election my parents let me ditch class to listen to John Kerry deliver a speech, I was only 16. This was a very positive experience for me. I started to volunteer with the state party to get Kerry elected; we know how that turned out. I continued to volunteer and the next thing I knew it was 2006 mid-term election and I was a paid canvasser for the Nevada State Democratic Party. That election came and went. Then 2007 came and I was interning for the John Edward for President campaign for the caucus. Then 2008 came and my family encouraged me to apply to be a field organizer for the Mark Begich for US Senate. I got the job and moved to Fairbanks, Alaska.

If my family didn’t push me so hard to go after this job opportunity I would have missed out on one of the most influential experiences in my life. While I was away from my family I realized that they affected my life in many different ways. I missed all of those home cooked meals because I was constantly eating out while on the campaign trail. It was then that I realized that food, the way my family does it, is part of the glue to my culture. I had the politics but not the food. The first thing I asked for when I got home towards the end of November 2008 was a home cooked meal. We sat around, ate and talked about my adventure in Alaska.

Although food and politics is the glue to my culture it isn’t my entire culture. Education is a major part of my culture. We constantly want to learn something new. This is particularly why we follow the news so closely. Some people in my culture, my mother included, feel that they don’t need a piece of paper saying they know something; that paper being a degree in higher education. Although my mother and my oldest sister are among the most intelligent people I know they study on their own. However, my Aunt Ellen and myself strive to continue our education in higher education. My aunt recently graduated from ASU with her PhD and I will be graduating with my BA in the next couple of semesters.

The college atmosphere has definitely influenced my culture. While I identify a lot with my family I also identify a lot with the college lifestyle and my generation. Part of the college culture that I participate in is being an extremely active student with organizations. As much as I work at school this lifestyle also offers a lot of play. My close friends and I love the Reno nightlife. Every Thursday and Friday we go out on the town. We like to have a good time in a variety of different bars that downtown offers. What never seems to fail when we go out though is at least one political conversation.

One of our favorite hangouts is Amendment 21 a sports bar. My friends and I went there one day because we loved the name. We then ordered some food and although it is not a home cooked meal by my mother, I love the food.

So my culture is my family, friends, food and politics. Without those key ingredients I wouldn’t know how to even start about defining my culture.

Adding school into the mix of Nightlife

2009-08-31T20:58:00.000-05:00

Well I have completed my first week of school of my senior year. So far so good. My classes are very reading intense this semester, where I am forced to read due to those pop quizzes. So far all of the reading as been rather. German is going to kick my ass but I am not surprised by that at all. I don't understand why that class is so much harder than my 400-level capstone course.

Nightlife with school is going well too. Jessica (@jmestepa), Amy (@amylauder) and I went to Wolf-it-down. I gotta love free pancakes. Friday Festival sucked, there was no free food. Thanks ASUN! The only good thing about that is that a bunch of us who went to Friday Festival including Taylor (@Ander517) and Matt (@Silvam87) where drinking before hand. We then finished pre-gaming and headed downtown. Although this weekend was dead. That may very will be due to burning man. We did some major bar hopping.

Saturday I went to the Marilyn Manson concert with Niki (@nclinger). We had a blast, although we did get torn apart. Manson was amazing. The lighting in the concert was so bad ass. I loved it. He even burned a bible on stage which was pretty sweet. I did get my ass handed to me in the mosh pit when we all fell over during Manson's encore, but other than that it was pretty sweet.

Later that night I met-up with Alyssa (@alyssapants) at Vino. While sitting at Vino Alyssa, Ben and I decided that we are going to write a script called "The Bartender" because one of us is obsessed with a certain bartender at a certain bar. To save humility on us all I won't say who it is or what bar, even though all of our friends do know and so does the Bartender at Vino. Haha! So as we start to write the true life experience of our hunt to run into a certain bartender again we will let you know the outcome!

A Current Perspective on Friendship

2009-08-02T17:36:00.000-05:00

According to dictionary.com friendship is "the state of being a friend" but what does being a friend mean? There are many different ways of figuring out what a determines an individual being a friend. There is also the saying "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." Does this imply that your best friend is actually your enemy or the people who claim to be your best friends are actually your enemies?

I ask this because I value friendship. To me I want my friends to not talk shit about me behind my back. If you have a problem with me let me know. When you talk shit about me that makes me feel like you are an enemy not a friend. It also shows me that you are still in high school not an upperclassman in college or a college graduate. I do admit their is a huge difference between venting about a person to another person and talking shit about them or spreading rumors. Those people are enemies. Another thing about friendship is understanding and willing to accept that your friends may have other friends that you may not like or care to see. Instead of constantly criticizing and stating how you dislike that person grow the fuck-up and deal. If you don't like that person then don't talk about them, especially don't talk shit about them because it makes you look like a school girl.

Also don't justify whether you will be going to a party, bar, movie or any other function based upon who else is going. I believe being in our early twenties we should have outgrown a lot of these immature actions that I seem to be surrounded by at the moment. Just because you "dislike" or "hate" someone doesn't mean you have to start drama and try to make that person's life hell. You just need to show other people respect. If you lack that then how can you ever call yourself a genuine friend.

A friend for me has respect for all people, whether you like them or not. A friend also shouldn't make their friends constantly feel stupid or make them feel like a duchebag on a constant basis. That is not what friendship is for. Friendship is so much more. It is about being there for your friends and having friends be there for you. Even if there is a larger tragedy in ones life than an other's the smaller one may need to be taken care of first. It isn't a competition of "whose life sucks more" it is a cumulative effort of making both lives equally great and having fun. Life only sucks if you want it to suck. You could look at Camus' example of Sisyphus and see how much his punishment sucked and how horrible it was but he was still happy.

Even of you think your life is the worst life in the world you could also get some pointers from Dostoevsky's character the Under Ground Man. His life was horrible and he knew it but he didn't care. He was only happy when he was miserable.

Friendship is a lot of stuff but mostly it is respect, love, caring, having fun, understanding, knowing when it is your place to be the shoulder, not to annoy your friends for always wanting to be up in their business (when they want to share with you they will), and not doing horrible things to the people you call friends. So if you call me your friend, treat me like one or tell me that you are my fucking enemy and let me know how you truly feel about me.

Colorado Road Trip Tweets

2009-07-13T14:49:00.000-05:00

So here is the collection of our road trip tweets from Nevada to Colorado and then from Colorado to Nevada. We may not have hashed all of them but feel free to read the ones I have posted. On our way back we created Jenn a twitter account so she can participate. On our way to Colorado we left at 6 pm and arrived at 11 am on our way to Reno we left at 1 pm and got back at 4 am. Remember to follow any of us on twitter. Enjoy.

Ander517: Pit stop in Battle Mountain NV #nv2co

Ander517: Full moon on the night drive to Denver, really bright and beautiful#nv2co

adamkallen: Sleeping to prepare for the late night drive #nv2co

Ander517: Leaving Elko #nv2co

adamkallen: Elko, NV first drive change @Ander517 has the wheel. Time to pray for safety :) #nv2co

Ander517: @adamkallen just farted #nv2co

Ander517: Just passed Wells, NV #nv2co

Ander517: Wendover, NV almost to the utah state line #nv2co

Ander517: In mormon country #nv2co

Ander517: Crossing the great salt flats #nv2co

adamkallen: Just woke-up from a lengthy nap after Elko. Apparently we are in the salt flats #nv2co

adamkallen: Time to caffeine myself up #nv2co

adamkallen: Hello and Goodbye Delle, UT which looks like just a gas station#nv2co

adamkallen: Driving past the Great Salt Lake. Almost to Salt Lake City, UT #nv2co

adamkallen: Approaching SLC, UT #nv2co

adamkallen: Salt Lake City, UT. It makes me want to watch the movie SLC Punk#nv2co

adamkallen: "Don't stop believen" by Journey! We are rocking out in the car.#nv2co

adamkallen: Getting gas and switching drivers. My turn to drive! #nv2co

Ander517: Pit stop @ Great America! Almost to CO #nv2co

adamkallen: Little America, WY bathroom break, coffee and sunrise #nv2co

Ander517: Beautiful sunrise in Wyoming #nv2co

adamkallen: 12.5 Hours in the road. In Rawlins, WY changing drivers #nv2co

adamkallen: "It is called a highway not a low-way" -Jenn #nv2co

adamkallen: Laramie, WY #nv2co

adamkallen: 7 miles until we reach the Colorado border #nv2co

adamkallen: Colorado #nv2co

Ander517: In Colorado! Whoooo!!!! #nv2co

adamkallen: Headed to University of Colorado, Boulder to get the key to the house we are staying at #nv2co

adamkallen: 17 hours in the car straight. We are finally arriving to our place of rest#nv2co

Ander517: Finally made it to Boulder, CO. Relaxing after a 17 hour drive from#nv2co

adamkallen: Goodbye Denver! On our way back to Reno #co2nv

JennGinger: On the road! Tweet tweet #co2nv

adamkallen: The beginiing of another 16 hour driver with @Ander517 and@JennGinger #co2nv

adamkallen: In the mountains! We are taking a different route home :) #co2nv

adamkallen: Scary 5 mile tunnel #co2nv Let's make this a high speed chase

JennGinger: Umm scary tunnel through a ginormous mtn #co2nv

adamkallen: RV on fire on the I-70 got a great pic on my camera. That road will be closed for ever #co2nv

JennGinger: The mountains are so beautiful much better than driving through wyoming #co2nv

JennGinger: @adamkallen is taking death-defying pictures while driving #co2nv

adamkallen: Almost lost my hat trying to take a picture of a mountain #co2nv

adamkallen: Vail, CO #co2nv

JennGinger: We are in vail! #co2nv

adamkallen: Could you imagine living in Vail right by the ski resort and on a golf course #co2nv

adamkallen: @Ander517 's burp smells. #co2nv

adamkallen: "California, Calfornia, Here we come!" #co2nv

adamkallen: Just crossed over the Colorado River #co2nv

adamkallen: Jealous of all those peeps rafting in the Colorado #co2nv

adamkallen: Nap time for @JennGinger and myself. Wish @Ander517 good luck on the drive #co2nv

Ander517: http://twitpic.com/a5qn8 - Western CO is really beautiful. #co2nv

JennGinger: @adamkallen for the record the pills make me sleepy #co2nv

adamkallen: Grand Junction, CO #co2nv

JennGinger: I made a new friend...a ladybug named ladygaga she was in the car...#co2nv

Ander517: RT @adamkallen: Grand Junction, CO #co2nv

JennGinger: Only 25 miles left of colorado and just made 2nd pitstop of the trip...4 hrs 17 mins in #co2nv

adamkallen: Entering Utah aka Mormon Country #co2nv

JennGinger: Just entered beautiful utah! #co2nv

JennGinger: Now we are in green river, ut gonna make 3rd pitstop of the trip get some blimpie subs! #co2nv

adamkallen: They sell condoms in the mens bathroom in Utah. Makes you wonder... #co2nv

adamkallen: About to buy a Utah shot glass. Haha #co2nv

Ander517: Driver change, @JennGinger is now in control. On our way toward NV.#co2nv

adamkallen: No services for the next 100 Miles. @Ander517 @JennGinger and I are in the buttfuck of nowhere UT #co2nv

Ander517: We're about 11 hours from Reno, driving I-70 to US-50 to I-80 then home.... #co2nv

adamkallen: As much as I like to make fun of Mormons and UT this state is very pretty #co2nv

adamkallen: Are we there yet? #co2nv

adamkallen: Rain in Utah #co2nv

Ander517: Welcome to Salenia, UT pop... 5 haha jk #co2nv

adamkallen: Taking a tour of Salina, UT #co2nv to get on Highway 50

adamkallen: We keep losing cell service but now we are in Scipio, UT #co2nv

adamkallen: RT @Ander517 On our way to Ely, NV next stop Delta, UT. ETA 8.5 hours #co2nv

Ander517: On Highway 50, the loneliest highway #co2nv

adamkallen: Did @Ander517 fart or is it the landfill? Any thoughts? #co2n

Ander517: I think @adamkallen just needs a shower.... Maybe that's why he uses a whole bottle of ax body spray #co2nv

adamkallen: I think @Ander517 needs to go back to 2nd grade to lear how to spell :) #co2nv

Ander517: Looks like @adamkallen needs to too "lear"???? #co2nv

JennGinger: Delta, UT #co2nv

adamkallen: Just saw a deer #co2nv

Ander517: Just crossed the NV/UT stateline, there is a tiny casio/motel/gas station there. #co2nv

Ander517: In the middle of nowhere NV, no cell service so this prolly won't post until we get close to Ely, NV. #co2nv

Ander517: Driver switch, @adamkallen is now driving, @jennginger is taking a nap.#co2nv

Ander517: Clear sky out here, I can see the stars really well! #co2nv

Ander517: We're in Ely, NV!!!! Woooohoooooo #co2nv

adamkallen: Eureka, NV #co2nv

Ander517: Austin, NV almost home! #co2nv

adamkallen: Driver change in Austin, NV. @Ander517 has the wheel. #co2nv

Ander517: Just passed Fernley, on I-80 almost home! #co2n

Ander517: 10 miles to Reno! #co2nv

adamkallen: Back in Reno, early from our goal. #co2nv

Ander517: RT @adamkallen: Back in Reno, early from our goal. #co2nv

The start of a city wide war

2009-07-01T20:30:00.001-05:00

Imagine being in a tennis court playing a game of tennis with one of your friends (@nclinger) and then all of a sudden you are ATTACKED! By these two crazy girls (@xorachel, @CrinkledStraw), both of which who have obviously lost their minds. Maybe it is due to the lack of school or the heat that the city seems to have been neglecting for the entire month of June, besides the last week. Anyway these two crazy girls have lost their minds. We know this because they attacked us while wearing Batman masks. I believe that qualifies as crazy. I was just enjoying a game of tennis when these two crazies started pelting us with WATER BALLOONS. This was the creation of the huge city wide warm known as the "Reno Water War 2009" (#renowater).

That is right we have started a city wide war. So far there have been plenty of attacks. Read about them all on that twitter link. We love to have fun and get wet. SOme of this water war has been seen through out the entire state, such as when a group of us went to Las Vegas. Annie (@TahomaPrincess) she ended up in a fountain on the Strip. This is war so lets fight all summer.

Tropical Island Bar Crawl

2009-06-20T19:20:00.000-05:00

Well as many of you know I turned 21 on Wednesday. I had an amazing time celebrating my birthday with a lot of great people in Reno. At 12:00 a.m. I went to the Grand Sierra Resort (@grandsierra) with some of my closest friends (@nclinger, @Ander517, @Silvam87 and @simplykaty). We chilled for about 30 minutes waiting for it to turn midnight. Once midnight arrived the bartender let me take a seat at the bar. Katy bought my first drink, it was a Tokyo Tea (ingredients). I ended up downing that drink in about 15 minutes. I also put a dollar in the slot machine at the bar and won 50 cents. I quit gambling while I was ahead.

We left the GSR. Katy also departed from us. So three of us went to a private function. We were treated like VIPs thanks to my good friend Rachel aka Marie. We had a lot of fun. I did a tequila shot and then had two vodka cranberries. This place was amazing but it remains a secret for the protection of a few people! After we left I went home and fell asleep.

The next morning I woke-up and got to work at about 9 a.m. Work was pretty amazing. The non-student staff made some tasty desserts and we celebrated my birthday. They gave me a lot of wisdom of what not to do that night (like beer before liquor you've never been sicker or Liquor before beer and your in the clear). However the best advice I got was from my cousin Melissa. She said "Just remember, if someone buys you a shot, they have to take one too and it's a marathon, not a race." I kept referring to her advice all night telling everyone that it is a marathon, not a race. However for it being a marathon I went pretty fast (fast enough that if they had a pub crawl something similar to the Boston marathon I would have qualified).

So I got off work and started to get ready for the big night's adventure. I chilled with my parents for a bit. Then at about 4:3o p.m. I met up with Annie (@TahomaPrincess) for a drink at the Wal because she couldn't make it out to the bar crawl. She bought me a vodka cranberry (if you can't tell already those are my favorite drinks. Yes I know they are kind of girly but I love Vodka and I love cranberry juice so it works). After having our drink I went and had dinner with my parents. Then they dropped Niki and I off at Lincoln Lounge were my bar crawl started. When we got there some of the crawlers were hanging out already. Niki ordered me another vodka cranberry. Then more and more people started to show-up. I had a birthday cake shot (ingredients) with Amber, Rachel W and Sara (@CrinkledStraw, @xorachel, @saraxmazing). I also did a birthday cake shot with Rachel M and then the wild but complete rad lady bought me a shot of tequila for my birthday. We also ran into her again later in the night at Waterfall. Then a random guy at the bar bought me a Jager Bomb. I think I had a few more shots there as well.

We then left Lincoln Lounge and headed to the "next bar." Half of us walked and the other half drove. Unfortunately the half that walked were the ones with me who made it to the "next bar". For the people who drove I told them that we were going to Sapphire Lounge inside Harrah's but then we ended up walking to West 2nd Street bar. While we were walking we ran into Katy and Kathy (@marticulate). They were going to Lincoln Lounge to meet up with us, it is a good thing we walked. So when we got to West 2nd Street Bar we all drank a Hurricane (ingredients). The bartender then bought me a second one. I ended up singing Karaoke with Niki, while we were at this bar. We sang "She Thinks Me Tractors Sexy" by Kenny Chesney. We also Leid everyone in this bar. While we were hanging out Ashley joined us. After we sang we went off to Sapphire Lounge to meet up with everyone else (because I went to the wrong place). Before Amber and Sara could leave West 2nd Street Bar, they were forced to kiss a marine. It was pretty funny, I wish I saw it.

When we arrived to Sapphire lounge I admittedly leid all the cougars that were hanging out, in return they bought me a shot. Sapphire Lounge had great drink specials, I believe it was $2 shots and I did a lot of them. People just kept buying and buying, so I kept shooting them. It was a lot of fun from what I can remember. I know my parents joined us at Sapphire and took a shot with me, my parents are pretty cool. I know I did at least 3 shots with Sara, Rachel and Amber. I also know I did a shot of Tequila with Donnel. I also think Taylor bought me a shot. After doing a lot of shots at Sapphire Lounge we went to the next bar (this time I went to the correct one). We headed off to the Waterfall.

On our way to the Waterfall we decided to do the Cha Cha down 2nd street. I barely remember being in the Waterfall. What I do remember is that Katie bought me a rum and coke, Rachel bought me a shot of Goldschlager and Eric bought me a shot as well. I think I had another one there as well. We were supposed to go to Tonic and El Cortez next but something happend (I am still not sure what) but we ended up going to Imperial instead. When I got to Imperial I started to lei a bunch of people and then I know that Taylor bought me an Irish Car Bomb. That damn bomb ended my night. Right afterwards I was off to the bathroom. I puked all over the floor outside the bathroom and then in the trash-can (someone was in the only stall) when I first got in there. After puking for a while I ate some food and then we left. I got home and passed out.

I then woke-up and went to work and I was only 15 minutes late.

To check-pout more photos click here. I am compiling a bunch of photos into one album on Myspace as they have been coming up on facebook. So we are constantly having more uploaded. That was my 21st, from what I can remember. The phots might explain some more!

Arrival of Summer Break

2009-05-19T22:13:00.000-05:00

Finals are officially over and grades have now officially been posted. Thank god! I am happy to see that I kept my scholarship (grade wise, but it now is in the hands of the State). What I know at the moment is that I will possibly be laid-off from my job at the Knowledge Center. My job at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society decided to keep me on until June 15th. So I may end up being unemployed. The bright side of things is that it is starting to warm-up outside.

Summer fun is here. I plan on going to Denver and Portland this summer. It is going to be amazing. I wish I could make it to Canada with a few of my friends but that is not going to happen. So far since school has been out I have been somewhat busy, while having fun.

I went to see Star Trek with Taylor and Ashley, which I will write a review about. Possibly!

I went to the small town that I grew-up in over this passed weekend for their Armed Forces Day Celebration. This would be Hawthorne, Nev. This town is located in the Nevada Desert. It is 134 miles away from Reno and 304 miles away from Las Vegas. The celebration was very nice. We went to the parade, which had multiple gaps. A couple things disgusted myself in the parade. Governor Jim Gibbons was in it, along with Congressman Dean Heller. Neither of them are even remotely close to being my favorite republicans. In fact they both are at the same level of former President George W. Bush. The parade also only had the Republican Party in it. Which was disturbing, The theme of the entire celebration was typical "Freedom isn't Free" The theme slightly disgusted me as well, partially because I just watched the documentary "Why We Fight." This movie is based on explaining why Americans fight and most people say we fight to keep our freedom but I do not think it is an accurate interpretation of why Americans fight. This movie is highly recommended. Anyway back to my trip to Hawthorne. We then went to Lyons park and talked to childhood friends and old family friends. Many people were barbecuing and many bought indian tacos. We then went up to Lucky Boy. Which is the ranching district of this town. We had a big bbq with one of our long-time family friends. We ate and watched her turtles in her pond. Once it got dark you could see every single star in the sky. It was amazingly beautiful. I then headed back to town and went and sat a bar where I talked to my childhood friends. We just hung out. They had a few drinks, I didn't drink at all because I had to drive back to Lucky Boy. We reminisced about elementary school and Junior High (I moved to my hometown of Sparks during middle school). Once I got back to Lucky Boy I laid on the porch and star gazed for about on hour before going to bed.

Sunday morning we went to the church that my father used to be the Lay Pastor at, Community Presbyterian Church. All of the the church folks were shocked to see how old I was. They could not believe that I just finished my Junior year at the University. We then headed home. We ended up stopping in Fallon Nev. to visit another family friend. This family friend's husband is on his death bed, dying from cancer. He only has a few days left so it was a pretty rough visit. This would be his second battle of two different cancers. The first being a Lymphoma cancer. After the visit we finally made it back to Reno.

Yesterday I went out with Niki, whom I haven't actually spent a lot of time with lately. We went to the Melting Pot for the first time which was very tasty. We then went to Seven Teahouse and played a couple games of Egyptian Rat Screw. Next we went to the movies and saw "Angels and Demons" which was phenomenal and I may possibly write a Movie review about it as well. Other than all of that business for the beginning of Summer Vacation it is time to strap down and study for my LSAT and my German Vocab words. It shall be a fun filled summer.

Turning 21, Denver, Summer School and Portland! I can not wait for this summer's adventures.

Goodbye Social Life, for now!

2009-04-06T23:31:00.000-05:00

Well I believe the title says it all. I am going to be giving up a majority of my social life because I am about to get super busy. The semester has roughly five or six weeks left, depending on where all of my finals are. I need to buckle down and start doing some hard core studying for the rest of the semester, especially because I am crazy individual who is taking 18 credits. I haven't had six classes since I was a sophomore in high school. So I forgot how to juggle that many courses at once.

Also I am going to be giving up my social life because I have accepted a second job at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am still going to continue working at the Knowledge Center as well. So now I am working about 40 hours a week and taking 18 credits. I don't see any possible way of having a successful social life with all of this current chaos. When summer comes it will be different but until then don't expect to see much of me.

I know I will go out occasionally on Saturday nights, well possibly because I do have a lot of end of semester bull shit coming up as well. Essentially I think I am going to be falling off the face of the planet when it comes to having a social life.

You can follow my tweets and see when I am doing something social and if I am feel free to give me a call to join, but if I am not tweeting about doing something social then I won't go out. No more Amendment 21, Pub N Sub, Starbucks, Java Jungle (unless I am there studying), hanging out (unless you want to watch me do hw in the KC) and etc.

I do not regret this sacrifice at all because I am super excited to be working for such a great non-profit. The LLS is amazing and I have really enjoyed my first week. So wish me luck on this stressful six weeks. I know at the end of this six weeks I will definitely be needing to do a lot of social activities but I can't go out Friday nights because I have to work Saturday mornings at about 6 a.m.

I have given up my social life to help others and I couldn't be more happier. Until next time I find time to blog.

"I Love You, Man" Movie Critique

2009-03-28T23:51:00.000-05:00

This film was very funny. It is a must see. I don't care if it you watch it in theaters though. With this comedy you find your self laughing quite a bit at a very sad situation, the realization of not having friends and having to go and make some friends.

In some portions of this film I found myself being embarrassed for the main character because of some of the things he does. It is rather funny and embarrassing. I knew it was a good story when you can feel for that person.

This film has a lot of underlying and serious moments to it as well. It shows how people in serious relationships also need to be able to maintain other relationships as well. I feel that it explains that couples need to also spend time with their friends, and not with just each other.

This film hits at another level when dealign with conversations. It shows the difference in conversations about what you are willing to share with friends and your significant other. All of these serious issues are shown in a very comedic way, but it still hits at home.

The idea of friendship is very grand. It shows that age doesn't matter, a person always needs friends, someone they can count on.

Not only does friendship play a heavy theme in this film but sex. I feel that this film points out a lot of struggles people have about sex. The fact that communication needs to take place between couples about their sex life. It also shows that their needs to be a balance of pleasing each other on both ends, when oral sex is taking place.

This comedy was absolutely hysterical. The way that these serious issue where interpreted made it a good laugh. So go and see this film in theaters or rent it when it comes out on video.

Changes

2009-03-26T22:20:00.000-05:00

So the gossip has gotten out. Yes I did change my major. I am no longer double majoring in journalism and political science and minoring in communications. I have changed my major to communications with a minor in Journalism. I did this simply so I can graduate in May '10 instead of May '12. It makes perfect sense to me. I am very proud of my decision because when everyone thought I was on the 6-year plan to graduate I turned it into the 4-year plan. Can you blame me for wanting to graduate?

Yes I know many of you think that I am the definition of a typical college student who likes to party and drink and all the other social aspects of college. That I belong in this world of being an undergraduate. That is true at the moment, but is that going to be true in a few years. Not likely.

I am ready to start my life and career this is why I made the decision to change my major in order to graduate. So please support me in this decision. Thanks!

Spring Break 2009

2009-03-22T22:00:00.000-05:00

It is very hard to believe that Spring Break 2009 is already over. It went by so fast, especially since I spent most of Spring Break just working. 10:30-5 Monday-Friday. Don't get me wrong though, I did enjoy not going to class.

I decided to start Spring Break a day early so I started it the night of Thursday, March 12. I went to the WAC tournament and watched the Pack teams kick major ass. Then later that night ASUN election results came in and I lost my ASUN Senate election miserably. I know it was because I really didn't campaign because I didn't have time. The more I reflected upon it I have decided I am thankful I lost because it will give me more free time next year but since I lost my buddy Taylor took me out and got me drunk. I got completely hammered in self-pity. I know it was kind of ridiculous. I was so hungover Friday morning that I objected not to go to class. Even though I probably should have because I have missed a lot of Friday classes but I didn't go so it doesn't make a difference now.

So Friday got started and I was on Spring Break. I woke-up in time to make it to the Women's WAC Tournament game and watched us kick some ass. I then headed off to Amendment 21 to celebrate Ashley's 23rd birthday. We had some dinner and some drinks. The staff was preparing for our men's basketball team by clearing some major space to but it the game right in front on two pull down screens. After having a few drinks I headed back to Lawlor to watch the game live. I then proceeded to have a few more drinks at the game where we won. That meant that both Pack teams were off to the championship game in the WAC.

Saturday I woke-up went to Lawlor and watched our women's team play in the championship game of the WAC. I was very sad to see us lose. We then went and got in-line at Lawlor to watch the men's game. While standing in-line Nevada students and Utah State students began to brew up a rivalry. I have decided I hate Utah State and that they hate us. After standing in-line for some time we finally got back into Lawlor and sat very close to our regular seats. Marysa, Tyson, and the rest of us crazy fans prepared all of the Nevada fans for victory and to stay united. The coolest thing about this game is that we squeezed into our row to allow three New Mexico State kids join us in the student section. They cheered very hard and even started some wolf pack cheers. They also put on some Nevada gear. The game started and I had never been more disappointed in the Pack until this game. They played horrible. It was very saddening. Thankfully Tyson through a black-light party that night. I caught a ride with Sierra. We drank a lot because both of our teams lost during the championship game. I also got into a huge fight with Jose. You know how it goes with Jose, when there is a fight he always comes up on top.

Sunday came along and I was hung-over yet again. I mainly just sat around and did nothing. I think I watched a few movies. I went to Gold N' Silver with Jessica, Amy and Amber where they planned out my future.

Monday came along. I went to work. Then I went to Jessica's house where we had a White Russian night and watched The Sandlot. Amy, Amber and myself made fun of Jessica for having a terrible childhood because she had never seen The Sandlot. We had lots of fun.

Then Tuesday came aka St. Patty's day. I went to work wore my green Guinness T-Shirt from Ireland and my hat from Ireland. I then went to Rachel M's house for a St. Patty's day party. We had fun and played a game of Kings Cup. I made fun of Andrew for not drinking (he gave substances up for lent), I had to give him a hard time.

Wednesday came and I went to work. Then I came home. Since I had been exhausted from life, I decided to stay-in. I watched Speed Racer and fell in love with it. Speed Racer was an amazing movie. I also watched Gabriel. I like to say that Wednesday night I was dating Netflix.

Thursday came. I went to work. Then I went out for Taylor's 21st birthday. We had a lot of fun. He got a suite at the Silver Legacy. They comped him a bottle of champagne for it being his birthday. So we drank the champagne then went to the El Dorado for dinner. We ate at the buffet. We then had a round of Ocean's 11. We ordered the drink mainly because of the name because Ocean's 11 is a very kick-ass movie. After dinner we went back to the suite made some margarita's. Here I was forced to make-up with Jose. We then went down to the casino floor and played some blackjack. After blackjack we went back up to the suite and had a few more drinks. The we did some Jose shots. We didn't fight this night so I was good.

Friday came and I went to work. Got my haircut and went home. I was planning on doing some homework, but Amber and Rachel W called me. So we went to Gold N' Silver ate some food. Went to Jessica's and played a game of Man bites Dog. I then came home and probably watched a movie. I don't remember. I do know I watched a lot of movies this week.

Saturday came and I slept-in very late. Got up cleaned my bedroom. Started some laundry and went to Java Jungle to start some homework. Which was very successful. I came home and went to bed.

Now here I am sitting here Sunday. Dreading the fact that I have class tomorrow and still a ton of homework to do. I just can't believe that Spring Break is already over. I am ready for summer to start. Soon it will be here.

So absurd it doesn't deserve a Title!

2009-03-22T01:30:00.000-05:00

Ever since I moved back to Reno from Fairbanks I have been obsessing about Alaska. I know I need to finish school, that was my main reason for coming back home after the election. I know there where times I was scared to death being away from my friends and family and was kind of miserable while I lived in Fairbanks but now that I have been home for about four and half months I am starting to realize how much I miss Alaska.

I really do want to move back to Alaska but I don't know what I would do for a living. I have huge goals and ambitions for the political world. I know that DC is the place to be. I also love Nevada politics BUT then I keep on discovering that I love Alaska and I want that state to become my home. I know I am crazy but I love it.

I am still debating with myself about whether I am gonna go back after I graduate or not. It is a huge roller coaster. I used to think I had my entire life planned out but I always gave room for change. Now I have no clue at all what I am doing. Is this apart of growing up??? Or is it that I am just discovering new things about myself? Am I challenging myself in life? I have no clue. What I know is that I want to have two things that I can't. I suppose that is apart of Kierkegaard's idea of absurdity. Even though I know I am far from being a Knight of Faith or Resignation. But I do understand his idea of absurdity. That is what I am stuck in. The world of absurdity.

I also know that if I where to move to Alaska again I would have more opportunity for jobs in Anchorage but after living in the interior of Alaska I don't think I could live in Anchorage. Who knows. Like I said I had my life planned and now it is changing rapidly.

I think I just want out of Reno again because I am even considering Vegas if I where to do Night Life PR (see previous blog) or even SF. I am just lost. All what I know is that I need to graduate. Can I do it in one year? I hope so. It is my goal to be graduated by summer 2010. I have finally figured out how to do that. Until I figure this out I am just going to continue living and let life take me where it is taking me.

How about this for the Future?

2009-03-18T20:56:00.000-05:00

So the other night I was sitting at the Gold N' Silver diner with a group of friends. For those who aren't from the great state of Nevada, the Gold N' Silver is the best diner in the world. It is one of those typical diners you see in films that are set in my state. It is a great place. Anyway we where sitting in the Gold N' Silver and somehow my future came up.

In the midst of this conversation we began to plan and strategize my future. We have decided that I am going to enter the world of Night Life Public Relations. Essentially I will be planning huge parties and getting people to go to these parties, among many other events that involve the Night Life.

This summer will be the summer that this career will begin. Since I am turning 21 on June 17, I will be able to attend bar tending school over the summer. I have my brother-in-law working his connections to get me an internship for the Night Life PR. This career has to start soon because while the group of us where talking at Gold N' Silver it was decided that people can only do Night Life PR until they are 35 or the become the creepers who are trying to stay hip.

Once 35 hits I will then make the transition back into Politics. After all this is Nevada and a career like Night Life PR is very acceptable especially to enter into the political world. The question now becomes, should I live this new fresh idea or just to stick to my original plans on life??? Essentially going straight into the political world.

Time

2009-03-07T23:19:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, it is time for the time to "Spring Forward." We are entering daylights saving time. Essentially the government is just making everyone wake-up an hour earlier. I understand to the fullest that this tradition started in order to save energy, even though it is a tedious experience to go through. I like to sleep-in late and run late for classes with coffee in hand. This upcoming week I will probably be running later than usual because of time. However I will do what ever it takes in order to reduce the amount of energy I use. Even with the rough transition period to daylight-savings time I enjoy it a lot more than standard time.

Even though time is just time and we are just doing everything an hour earlier than normal it plays a psychological game on us. Americans are dictated by this concept of time. We are told everyday as a child. "Never be late!" Even though it used to not be like this when the country first started to form. Time became essential when the country started to urbanize. Before this process of urbanizing and industrializing many Americans lived in only rural areas. They where farmers and ranchers. They allowed the natural since dictate them. Americans woke-up when the sun rose and started their duties. They would harvest when it started to get cold etc. They where not dictated by the clock like we are today.

The question comes to is the natural clock better than the societal clock of a.m. and p.m.? Somedays I wish I could live just off of the natural clock. I would be able to wake-up when I wake-up and go to sleep when I am tired. I would return to nature and survive. Then I realize the beauty of societal time because you are able to plan and know when to expect things.

Time also gives us an approach of understanding age and history by looking into the past. It also allows us to have hope for the future. Such as when Bush was in office everyone was looking forward for him to get the hell out and we new exactly when this would occur.

As much as the natural clock sounds good in theory I know that we will all continue to be a slave to time. It is something that you can not escape. People can be a little more lenient on what is on time for class because no ones watches are set the same. As long as you are in the 5 minute period of early or late you should not be penalized.

I know that this may take a long time to change that theory because of the capitalism and time dictating Americans. This idea and pressure of always being on time came from the industrial revolution. If a factory worker showed up to work late they would find themselves out of a job. So we have taught ourselves never to be late (even though I always run late).

Time is something I can discuss for hours but unfortunately I am a slave to time and I cannot finish my thought because finishing my homework on time is calling my name. However what are your ideas on time?