So it Ends.

Well, folks, this is it. This blog has been really fun. Thanks if you read this. I hope you've enjoyed peeking in on my life.

I suppose I'll see you in two years.

And now I leave you with some Christmas love in the form of David Bowie and Bing Crosby.



Love,
ktg.

La Vida es Aventura.

Woah!

Life here lately has been an unbelievable adventure lately. A crazed, wild adventure. But it will pale in comparison to the Mission, which will be the greatest Adventure yet, methinks.

Anyway, what is going on in my life? Oh, just everything.

I leave for Utah a week from TODAY! Yes, Monday December 10, I will leave my home for two years. Everything I will need must fit into two suitcases. Because I'm leaving, I'm kind of scrambling to get everything together. Or rather, Mom is scrambling to get everything together while I complain about it. Thank God for my wonderful mother.

But there is still so much to do. From calling all of my out-of-town friends for one last time to going to the optometrist, I've got a full plate this week.

All I do is live/breathe/sleep/think MISSION. Speaking of which, my two childhood best friends, Caleb and Jon Trujillo got their mission calls. Well wait, I'm jumping too far ahead in this story. So there are three missions based in Buenos Aires, Argentina: Argentina Buenos Aires North, Argentina Buenos Aires South, and Argentina Buenos Aires West. So anyway Caleb and Jon are these twins I used to pal around with from about age 7 to 12. Then they moved to Colorado. I've seen them a couple times since and talked to them a few times. Anyway, so they called me on Tuesday and Jon is going South and Caleb West. Weirdness, right?

More mission-related weirdness: one of the guys in The Scene Aesthetic is Mormon. As if that's not weird enough, he's serving a mission in the Argentina Rosario Mission. This isn't just a rumor. Check the site, man, it's there.

Anyway, my last day of work was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. You have no idea how sweet thinking about not going to work is. That night I spent the night at my cousin Reed's house (for clarification I have a brother Reed AND a cousin Reed) and stayed up way too late and got up way too early. But it was very worth it.

The next morning, I went with my sister Marlena and her fam to our sister LeAndrea's house in order to Give Thanks. I really love Thanksgiving. We hung around there for a while and my cousin Ami came up. Then I drove down with my cousin Matt to Disney World.

Man, Disney world was beyond radical. I could start a whole different blog (kirksultradisneyworldtripexplosivehiiyavacation2007.blogspot.com, maybe?) but that would just be unnecessary. Suffice it to say, Disney World rules so hard. Except for Epcot. If you're planning a Disney trip, remove Epcot from your itinerary. It blows. Animal Kingdom is my favorite park down there. The animals really rule so hard. And that Expedition Everest ride they got sporting down there is fun. Disney is just so expensive. You save up and watch it all quickly disappear.

The only drawback to being down there is the warmth...It was November. And there were all these Christmas decorations, but it definitely did not feel like Christmas. In fact it didn't feel like Christmas until I got home and the house was decorated. I'm glad I didn't have to participate in the decorating like last year.

So one of my (if not my absolute most) favorite bands, Anberlin came out with a B-Sides/unreleased album called Lost Songs. This is not really relevant nor is it pertinent but I'm all about the musick.

Okay, I think I'm FINALLY done.

Merry Christmas.

Women Falling Down.

This is the greatest video on YouTube.

The Greatest Person I Have Ever Met.

Sorry, Veronica Danberry*, but the greatest person I have ever met is my cousin, Ami Jagnandan.

Now, this isn't Ami. This is Paris Hilton. But Ami kind of reminds me of Paris Hilton for a few reasons:

1.) Ami is totally glam.

2.) Paris Hilton and Ami both love Mario Party 6.

3.) Ami, as a rule, will never answer the phone if you call her. Not even one time. I've spent more time leaving Ami voice mails than I've spent doing, I don't know, something. Like, maybe a daily activity? But probably something I don't do for a whole lot out of the day, because in all seriousness, I only call Ami, at most, once every 2-3 weeks. However, if you were to catch her on the phone, this is what she'd look like.

Or, you know, she'd look something like that.

Ami lives in the Atlanta area with her husband and three kids. She and I have a relationship which is hard to describe with words. Basically, we are meant to spend the rest of our lives together. I can remember being about 5 and Ami's family coming to visit and she asked me who my favorite cousin was. I confusedly replied that it was she; "confusedly" because the answer seemed so obvious.

Ami laughs at my jokes and I laugh at hers. Because they are funny jokes. Seriously.

Ami is married to this guy, Davin, who is like half Sri Lankan and half Moldovan or something. Either way, he is brown. Maybe you don't know what I mean by this. Let me explain: I am an Anglo Saxon and he sure as hell isn't.

I hate Davin. Not because he's brown. It's simply a coincidence that I hate him and he's brown at the same time. But he's not funny...not even a little. This is an old picture of Davin that I found in a family photo album.

You may ask why he's wearing those clothes. I may ask why Ami ever married him in the first place. Notice the gut. And the vacant look of sheer incomprehension. Davin's been in school since like 1964 or something. Get a job, pal.

Ami's got these kids, Ethan, Aidan, and Sidney. Ethan and Aidan are both really smart. Sidney is, I think, less gifted (the last time I was around, she crapped her pants...like a couple times a day), but she still asks about me, so I'm down with whatever. Ethan and Aidan both have a future in some form of comedy; Ethan can write it and Aidan can act it out or something. Either way, they are both hilarious. At this point, with what I've seen from Sidney, I'd say that she's got a promising future in drinking cheap bourbon and having chia pets. But we're all blessed with different things.

I like going to Ami's house because it's 100% fun time. And Ami's idea of fun is not going and looking at stuff. In fact, Ami doesn't really like "going." We just sit and eat good food and we all make fun of each other. Oh, and we now play Round Robin Ping-Pong. Ami's house is a social lubricant far more powerful than any alcoholic beverage. Where else would my best friend describe my sister LeAndrea as looking like "any lesbo"? Nowhere, friends. Except for maybe heaven, because that's what being at Ami's is like.

Ami also introduced me to David Sedaris, who wrote some of my favorite books, including Me Talk Pretty One Day. I love to sit and listen to her read Sedaris's essays aloud. And the best part is is that she keeps in all the swear words.

Nowadays Ami goes to the gym and does yoga. I'm not really sure what that's all about, but I think "going to the gym" is code for something that most people aren't supposed to know about. Because that's not really Ami's style. But apparently she's lost a lot of weight and is still going strong. Screw Lance Armstrong, somebody make some bracelets for Ami.

I am going to see Ami around Thanksgiving, which will be pretty great. I am way excited. We belong side by side, a privilege which I have been robbed of by Davin. What a worthless crap sack.

All the potshots aside, Ami really is a rad lady. She loves her kids and has a sweet, sensitive heart. And I've never seen her fall down, not once, and I still love her. That's how great she really is. Because, seriously, seeing Ami fall down would be the funniest thing I can think of.

*Veronica Danberry is in no way, whatsoever, a "real" human being.

Take a Sad Song and Make it Better.

I saw Across the Universe this weekend. For those of you that haven't heard of it, check out the trailer.

Basically, it's a musical with songs written by the Beatles. They aren't the originals, and they're sung by the actors.

I definitely think that the makers of the film were heavily relying on the fame of the music for the success of the film...the plot is fairly formulaic and there are some pretty huge holes. I was sort of left with questions like, "Wait...who was this character?" or "She's in love with him?" or "How did they get back to the city?"

And being as it was set in the 60s, they have to make a political statement, right? There's a scene where troops are toting around the Statue of Liberty, crushing the tiny palm trees of Vietnam, singing "she's so heavy." Seriously. Ridiculous.

I enjoyed it, though. I was super entertained. I just wished they had a little more script and a little less social commentary. Maybe they had to cut some scenes for running time...perhaps a Director's Cut DVD will be really great? Who knows. And it's fun to look at...one of those movies with a lot of colors and wacky effects that some critic somewhere would call "visually stunning." If you're into good music and some pretty stuff on the screen, check it out. I would go see it again, even though it's got faults.

And "Hey, Jude" and "I've Just Seen a Face" have been stuck in my head ever since.

My Mission Call Video.

So my sister Marlena put this together for me. Don't make fun of my crying. I'm kind of an emotional wreck.

Argentina. I still can't believe it.

Today is the Day.

Dashboard Confessional's new record, The Shade of Poison Trees, came out today. It's way too rad. I highly recomend it. From what I've heard so far, it's 100% acoustic, like the early Dashboard albums.

Dashboard Confessional is my favorite band and I've been listening to them since middle school. If you haven't jumped on this bandwagon (ha! bandwagon!), now is the time to do it.

YouTube, Ya'll (2).

As I've said before, I am all about some YouTube. And I like showing folks some of my favorites off of the biggest time-waster on the internet.

I won't post the actual "Leave Britney Alone!" video on here, but clearly, I've provided a link...the reason being that, 1.) Chris Crocker is all sorts of ugly and 2.) this is a kid-friendly blog...ol' Crocker sports quite the potty mouth. So if you don't want to hear that, skip it. However, if you haven't seen it...I mean, its pretty funny...so watch it.

Now onto what we're really here for.

Best Day of the Week.

I just want to say that tonight's episode of The Office was the best yet. Holy freaking crap. I don't want to ruin it for anybody. But seriously. So good.

Yes. Another Post about Musick.

This time, the band at hand is Eisley.

Eisley is a family quintet out of Tyler, Texas. The band is made up of four siblings and a cousin...they could change their name to the DuPree Family band. One of the sisters is engaged to Adam Lazzara, the lead singer of Taking Back Sunday and another sister is married to Chad Gilbert, a guitarist in A New Found Glory. Not that any of these facts are really relevant...but I mean, it's cool, right?

Anyway, I just bought their new record, Combinations and it's pretty radical. It's a bit harder than their last record, Room Noises, but I wholeheartedly approve of both disks. Incidentally, they'll be playing here in November. I'm definitely going.

The girls are the singers in the band. The lead singer, Sherri, has a super pretty voice that's most definitely not main-stream-sounding the all of those supposed pop "Divas," but it's not all breathy or weird like a lot of the female vocalists in the Indie rock world are these days. It's just super pretty. There is also some pretty mad harmonizing going on with the other sisters on backing vocals. As a human with a decently functioning brain residing somewhere in my skull, I love harmonizing, and Eisley doesn't at all hold back in that department.

I like Eisley because they're mega chill. And really pretty and soft. And their lyrics are way cool. Look at the lyrics to "Plenty of Paper."

If you're into the downloading scene, check out "Come Clean" off of the new record or "Plenty of Paper" from Room Noises. Or if downloading isn't your bag (it's not mine), just click the Eisley purevolume link at the very top of this entry.

Plans.

I feel like there is nothing left for me to do before I leave. This summer was kind of rad, so I'm satisfied.

However, I've still got some things to do.

The Starting Line is playing here next weekend, the 28th. Also, hopefully Across the Universe will actually be released here sometime. Since it is apparently not being shown here on the 21st.

The first weekend of October, my sister LeAndrea and her family are coming up to visit. Sometime after that, all of my family is supposed to go to Chattanooga for a mountain retreat of sorts, so we can all be together once more before I leave. Also in October, The Academy Is... is playing here. Should be pretty boss.

In November, my brothers Wade and Reed, their families and I are going to DISNEY WORLD the week after Thanksgiving. We're spending Thanksgiving at Le's house. Then we're off to the happiest place on earth. Our cousin Matt will be joining us, which will be rad. And Cartel is playing here! I just saw them last month in Nashville and I saw them another time here in town. They are probably the best band I've seen live.

In December, I go to be a missionary.

Also between now and then, I have to buy a whole lot of crap for my mission: 2 suits, dress pants, dress shoes, WINTER BOOTS, 15-20 (!) pairs of socks, a winter coat, and a slew of other necessities. One thing about being a missionary is that this will be the easiest packing list of my life. I'll basically wear the same thing every day, so it's no biggie.

And then after the mission, I'll spend Christmas here with my family. My best pal, Matt is in the MTC right now, headed for Toronto, Canada. He's also speaking Spanish, so will be communicating nonstop in la lengua de nuestras misiones. Which should be pretty buck.

Then I'm off to BYU in Provo.

Holy cow. Life is finally happening to me. And it's really, really terrific.

This is All I Frigging Think About (2).

::// Please Note: The contents of this blog have been very limitedly edited to ensure that my brother Reed will get off of my proverbial case. By way of information, the modifier is no longer misplaced.

Duh, my mission!


As you can see, that big blue blob up there is Argentina. The parts (that's right, parts...with an "s" at the end) in orange are the boundaries of my mission. I'll serve in northern Buenos Aires and surrounding areas--the smaller orange section towards the north--and in the provinces Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego--the larger section in the deep, deep south. Tierra del Fuego, the part floating off the mainland, according to Wikipedia has an annual average temperature of 5.3ºC--COLD.

Down in the south, I might run into the endings of the Andes Mountains. Hopefully, with both of my areas having borders on the ocean, I'll be able to see the Atlantic from the Southern Hemisphere. I will not, like I was stupidly thinking originally, be able to see the Pacific (which is a life goal). Maybe I'll see the Strait of Magellan. That would be cool.

I report to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah on December 12. I'll be there for two months learning Spanish and how to be a missionary, so I won't actually get to Argentina until February of next year. According to a friend of mine, who just left the MTC a week or two ago, the MTC is like the movie Groundhog Day; you do the same exact thing every day. For two months.

Some guys in my ward (a "ward" is a Mormon congregation) Andrew and Taylor Blain are going to be in the MTC in late January, so I'll probably run into them. And my second cousin (isn't that what you call your first cousin's children? Or is it "first cousin once removed"?) Bryan will be in the MTC a week after I get there. He won't be speaking a foreign language, though, so he'll leave after only a couple weeks. And my buddy Steven will get to the MTC about a month before I do. It will be neat to see all of those guys. Just for information's sake, Andrew is going to Monterrey, Mexico; Taylor is going to Arequipa, Peru; Bryan is going to Charleston, West Virginia; and Steven is going to Hong Kong. Good stuff.

My sister Marlena served a mission in Anaheim, California and spoke Spanish. She tells me Argentine Spanish, called Castellano, is super different from anything Mexican. So I'm thinking that although I've had some Spanish training, it will all be for naught when I actually get down there. But who knows.

At any rate, I am more excited now than I have ever been in my life. And "excitement" is an emotion that comes in huge quantities with me. I have never felt so determined that what I'm doing is right and good. I have never felt so happy. I am overwhelmingly stoked to work hard, to struggle with whatever obstacles I've got coming, to learn so much about myself, God, and others. I am confident that it will be the greatest experience of my life.

Argentina. Man. How awesome is that?

The Mission Call.

My Call, from the Office of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

"Dear Elder Garrett:

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Argentina Buenos Aires North Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 24 months.

You should report to the Missionary Training Center at Provo, Utah on Wednesday, 12 December 2007. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language. Your Mission President may modify your specific assignment according to the needs of the mission.

You have been recommended as one worthy to represent the Lord as a minister of the restored gospel. You will be an official representative of the Church. As such, you will be expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct and appearance by keeping the commandments, living mission rules, and following the counsel of your mission president. As you devote your time and attention to serving the Lord, leaving behind all other personal affairs, the Lord will bless you with increased knowledge and testimony of the Restoration and of the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Your purpose will be to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. As you serve with all your heart, might, mind, and strength, the Lord will lead you to those who are prepared to be baptized.

The Lord will reward you for the goodness of your life. Greater blessings and more happiness than you have yet experienced await you as you humbly and prayerfully serve the Lord in this labor of love among His children. We place in you our confidence and pray that the Lord will help you become an effective missionary.

You will be set apart by your stake president. Please send your written acceptance promptly, endorsed by your bishop.

Sincerly,
Gordon B. Hinckley, President."

Buenos Aires! How cool is that?! I am unbelievably stoked.

LOMO!.

Here's the photos from my first foray into Lomography. I had some issues with film rewinding, so some turned out oddly. But that's okay...they're Lomo, right?

My friend Erin and I.

One of those that got messed up. Notice the two fisheye circles?

And another.

Just woken up. I love this one.

JD and Hauns, guys I work with.

My brother, Reed.

My friend Allie and I. Notice the light squigglies on her face and shoulders--Multiple Exposure.

Allie and I.

Allie.

Messed up. But still cool.

Another.

Lookin' so tough.

Inside of my lense cap.

Beautiful scenescapes of Manchester, TN.

Well, there you go. Enjoy.

A Product Review (My First).

To start. I'm gonna send a shout out to my girl Carolyn and her blog. Carolyn is my sister Marlena's best friend and recently moved here. Her blog, unlike mine, has some coherence and a main theme: Motherhood. She apparently checks up on this blog here and is one of my (approximate) 4 readers, which is nice of her to humor me. Hi, Carolyn!

In other news, I got a Lomography Fisheye 2 (notice the TRIPLE LINK ACTION!) camera last Thursday. It's only the most fun thing ever. Lomography is all about taking fun photos and not being serious. Because in all seriousness, who needs seriousness?

This camera is capable of multiple exposures, and has a setting that will keep the shutter open longer for night shots. In addition to the built in flash, I also bought the colorsplash flash which can flash not only white light, but 12(!!!) different colors. Also, the Fisheye 2 is a film camera (I can honestly almost hear you thinking "Film? What is this, 1998?"). But film is cool to me...it feels simpler and more fun with film in the "Digital Era."

There is little doubt that some of you are thinking that this camera is not only unimpressive but a complete waste of effort, time, and money. That's okay. I'm already used to confused looks and questions of "Why?" from any number of persons. Just last night my brother Wade called it "just a little novelty thing," which clearly leads me to believe that not only does he not get it but he doesn't even like the idea of it. But if you're feeling in the dark about the whole thing check the About Section of the Lomography website. There you'll find that it's seriously all about capturing how fun and simple life is.

The film is being developed right now, so I won't have any photos up from my maiden photo-taking voyage until, at the earliest, Wednesday. But hopefully I will get to the point of posting, with regularity, my fisheye photos.

Now that I've officially plugged the crap out of that camera (maybe I'll get a check from Lomography?) I'm gonna go ahead and check out.

I just realized how many links there are in this post. That's kind of impressive. Or a bit ridiculous.

Christmas in August?.

This weekend I bought the Sufjan Stevens Christmas CD, Songs for Christmas.

Buy it now. It will complete your life. I've listened to it so much the past few days. And I love it.

"My Soul Has Never Had this Feeling and it Feels Like Gold."

Wow.

It's been forever since I posted. I can't believe that I used to update daily. That's absurd; I never have any time any more.

Last week I went to Virginia and saw CHELSEA DODD. It was the best trip I have ever taken in my life. It was so fun. Looking back, we did nothing truly extraordinary, just a lot of hanging out, but it was so real and so pure and so fun. And life is all about fun.

It was my first time on an aeroplane. I lovelovelove riding on a plane. It's mega fun. I got to fly FIRST CLASS into and out of Atlanta. First Class is niiiiiiiiice.

We spent a couple days in Richmond, near Virginia Commonwealth University. I love that town. So old and so city-like. Everyone there rides bikes. It was three in the morning, and there people were, riding down the road on their bikes. Three seems too late to me. Not in Richmond though.

In Richmond we stayed with Stephen, Chelsea's sister Katie's boyfriend. I'll give you a second to make sense of that previous sentence. Katie and Stephen are so radical. Stephen and I got along super well, and there were so many times that he had me weak with laughter. He reminds me a lot of my brother Reed, it's sort of nuts.

Chels and I went to the beach. I love the ocean. I love the little crabs that will pop out of the sand and look at you funny and if you make any sudden movements, they scoot real quick. I like seagulls because they are so awkward looking. I like seeing dolphins because dolphins are seriously radical. I like little kids in the ocean because they are overwhelmed by fun and surf. The sounds are soft and the air is nice.

The ocean at night is vastly different than the daytime version, and a brand of beauty and magic all its own. It is dark, but I have never felt so bright and happy. I like having my big feet in the cool water and feeling the foam and the sand. Being at the beach was very probably the best day of my life.

We went to Busch Gardens and I rode SO MANY ROLLERCOASTERS. Roller coasters feel like flying. And they are huge and terrifying. I love riding them so much. I always, always say a secret prayer on the bigger ones that we will not die. My prayers were answered that day.

There is a place in Williamsburg called Sno to GO and it is just like Jerry's. I felt like home.

Chelsea's family is so great. Her dad was so cool. He was not frightening like so many dads are. He was easy to talk to and easy to like. Her mom is, I'm pretty sure, my mom in some random body. Obviously, I liked her. It all made sense being there.

I like Chelsea so much. She gets me and I, her. We laugh a lot and joke on each other a lot. It was so great being with her. It feels like being home is the vacation and my real life is in Virginia.

I love that place. I am unsatisfied with this place.

* * * * *

In other news entirely, I am done with my mission papers and will see the Stake President Wednesday. They will then go to Salt Lake and I'll get a call. Absolute Craziness.

Reed Michael Garrett, mi primo favorito, leaves for school on Wednesday.

Everything is ending. It feels right, though, for the first time. Weird.

I'm going Skydiving on Saturday(!) and I might see Cartel on Saturday. Woohoo.

A Few Thoughts.

I feel somewhat sickly. Hopefully I will get over this.

I am going to Virginia on Monday. Seriously.

I LOVELOVELOVE musick. I saw The Format (!!!!), The Honorary Title (!!!!!!!), and two bands which I've never heard before, Limbeck and Steel Train (!!!!!!!!!!!!!). Clearly, Steel Train was awesome. The Format was one of the best bands I've seen live.

I finished Harry Potter and it was everything I could have ever hoped for it to be and more.

Matthew is here and will soon be gone.

I randomly thought of this video that came on Cartoon Network in the days of my youth and found it on YouTube. I love it.


Enjoy. Good night.

Update: Harry Potter.

I got it.

It is awesome.

This is All I Frigging Think About.

These are the Things I Think about.

I am in Atlanta visiting my cousins.

It is safe to say that I love my family more than most everything on planet earth.

I miss Matty. I would be hanging with him at Warped Tour right now, but those plans fell through. I have to go to the cardiologist on Monday.

See, I have an abnormal aortic valve. More to come on this subject at a later date. At this time is is sufficient to say that said valve is interrupting my mission paper process. Bummer.

I am too excited for the future--mission, Virginia, Harry Potter.

Life is really wonderful.

Little Blessings.

I was a bummer until I heard Paulson!

And then Backseat Goodbye!

Wonderful musick.

The Anticipation is Killing Me.

I went to the doctor today.
I got a Hepatitis A shot. A Hepatitis B shot. A meningitis shot. A PCB tuberculosis skin test. And they pricked my finger. I go back on Wednesday and I will get a tetanus shot.

I go to the dentist tomorrow.
I will get three cavities filled.

This week rocks!

So I'm reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and then Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in anticipation for the new movie and the seventh novel. I am unbelievably excited, folks. It should be rad.

I love popsicles.

This post is kind of just a bunch of nonsense. But so am I.

Crayons Can Melt On Us For All I Care.

Man.

I am in a weird mood right now. I am sort of.
I dunneveno. It's odd.

I just saw Relient K. It was very odd and unexpected. Levi called me Monday, "Are you going to see Relient K on Thursday?"
"What?" said I. "Relient K? You're sure that Relient K is playing on Thursday?"
"Yeah," said he, "I heard it on the radio."
"You're positive?"
"Yeah."
"You're positive?"
"Well now that you're questioning me, no. But I'll make sure."

Incidentally, he was completely correct. It was just a bit of an acoustic set. Only six songs. But it was pretty mega rad and everything. I was like three feet away from Relient K. Odd.

I really think that everything just gets better as it goes along, you know? I love every day more and more every day.

But this odd feeling that I was saying about just a second ago. It's in my gut. Like I want to get naked and drive around. Like something really wonderful is going to happen. Like all of my hopes and fears are going to come crashing down in a heap of future happenings. And I won't know what to do because of the exquisite wonderfulness of it all. I'm not sure how that and driving naked coincide, but it seems they do.

I love love love love love The Honorary Title.

This One Goes to...100?!?.

That's right, folks. This is my one hundredth post on Blogger. I had over one hundred posts on MySpace, but it's safe to say that a lot of those were crap, and only a few are in existence today.

Any way, in celebration of this most wondrous moment, here are one hundred things I like in no particular order. Seriously. One hundred. Feel free to close this window.

1. The new Life cereal with the yogurt crunchies.
2. Rock and Roll.
3. Matty.
4. Big, goofy, women's sun glasses.
5. Trees.
6. Chelsea Dodd.
7. Dance Gavin Dance
8. Globes.
9. Dina.
10. KFC.
11. Pan's Labyrinth
12. Opening wrapped gifts.
13. Wrapping gifts.
14. Slip-on Vans.
15. Driving.
16. Swallows.
17. The lake.
18. Slurpees from 7/11.
19. Español.
20. Road trips.
21. Live Music.
22. Jerry's Snocones.
23. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
24. Lightning bugs.
25. Stirring orchestra music.
26. Getting goosebumps.
27. Plaid.
28. Subway.
29. Humid summer nights.
30. Playing tag.
31. Making a noise like a pterodactyl.
33. The desert Southwest.
34. Mr. Goodbar.
35. Kisses.
36. Hair cuts.
37. IBC root beer.
38. Popsicles.
39. Pears.
40. Rainbows.
41. Dopey hats.
42. Three piece suits.
43. Running.
44. Saying things like "Hii Ya!!," "Extreme" and "Karate."
45. Sonic.
46. Pickles.
47. Cartoons.
48. Antihistamines.
49. Being me.
50. Being a teenager.
51. Driving down Highway 70 real fast.
52. Tube socks.
53. Photographs.
54. Blowing bubbles.
55. Swing sets.
56. Star Wars!
57. Windows down.
58. Singing (badly).
59. Doodling.
60. Magazines.
61. Thick novels.
62. Ramen.
63. Scrub bottoms.
64. FOUR SQUARE.
65. Watching fútbol.
66. Playing vidjoe games.
67. Ultimate.
68. SLEEP.
69. Maps.
70. Family.
71. Pop-tart cartoons.
72. Below-the-ankle socks.
73. Tee shirts.
74. Lava lamps.
75. Parties.
76. Orange juice.
77. Fleece blankets.
78. Starbucks.
79. Hoodies.
80. My cousin Reed.
81. My brother Reed.
82. Naps.
83. The woods.
84. The relief of peeing after having to go REALLY BADLY.
85. Making plans.
86. Going with the flow.
87. College.
88. Showering.
89. Being tan.
90. Soft, warm cookies.
91. Pretending to be foreign.
92. Cracking my knuckles.
93. Laughing.
94. Telling really bad jokes.
95. Boats.
96. Banging on drums, pots, anything that will make loud noises.
97. Cowboy boots.
98. Wearing a watch.
99. Drawing with crayons.
100. LIFE.

Well, there you have it, folks.

Good day to you.

$#@!*.

I like swear words. There, I said it.

I say them all the time. Especially when I'm by myself. I really just let 'em fly then. Seriously. it's a problem. But here lately I've gotten into the habit of just say in the words with out the ending consonant sounds. For example, B**CH, would just be Bi, with a short "I" sound. Similarly, I've started saying Fu, and Shi. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction.

I'm not really sure where this post came from but I was just thinking about swear words for some reason.

Truth is Marching On.

It kills me how no one in this country, especially the youth, has any faith whatsoever in anything American.

No one supports the government. No one believes in the Constitution. No one respects the flag. No one is concerned with liberty and the cost of it.

No one cares for religion or the strong religious principles this country was founded on. I'm not saying that you have to be Christian or uphold Christian ideals, but the fact that no one has faith in anything and no one believes in anything anymore is seriously scary. Government is like a religion in that you have to believe in it, trust it, protect it, and have faith in it. This is something that I think my generation is incapable of.

Liberalism is the downfall of human society. I said it. Sue me for it. Liberalism is wrought with contradictions. There is no truth or hope in it.

Catch hold of some faith, folks. Believe in this country, please. Form your own opinions for once. Believe in something eternal.

This is an odd post and I am sorry that it seems out of place. I am not sorry, however, if it offended you.

I love this country so much and it feels like it is falling apart.

Le Week-end.

Live music makes my body do some crazy things.
I saw Cobra Starship, Paul Wall, The Academy Is... (again), +44, and Fall Our Boy in St. Louis this past weekend. It was pretty frigging rad. Cobra Starship was fun. Paul Wall was pretty ridiculous. The Academy Is... was way rad, +44 was super gnarly--they played "What's My Age Again?" and it was so cool--and Fall Out Boy are too famous for their own good. Nonetheless, I enjoyed watching them play.

I danced like a fool. I love that.

I bought a lot of clothes this weekend. I shouldn't have. But it felt good to be excessive since I haven't done that in a long time. But from now on, I gotta focus on the mission.

This is all very surreal and exciting.

Holy Mother!.

Happy Mothers' Day, Ya'll.





I got my mom this Willow Tree figurine for Mothers' Day.



It's called "Tenderness." I think it's pretty cool.

A lot of my family was over here. I like being around them. I get a really good feeling when they're near me. I think that the idea of family is the best there is. There is so much love with us. Our blood is the same. We share the same features. We eat when we're together. We laugh when we're together. We get our feelings hurt but we always apologize. We say that we love each other and we really, really mean it. We cry. We sing. We sometimes swear. But our family is cohesive and unified and it makes sense. I love my family. And I will be with them for eternity.

"Everything I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."

-Abraham Lincoln.

YouTube, Ya'll.

Quick update before the real entry begins: I saw Jack's Mannequin. They RULED. I also saw Taking Back Sunday. That was pretty crappy. I also saw WOLFMOTHER! They were so rad. Okay. Here goes it.

I really like YouTube. But I mean, who doesn't? Anyway, here are some videos off of my favorites list.

Enjoy.

You Know.

The usual.

Today is Cinco de Mayo. What a crazy year it's been since the last Cinco de Mayo. I'm not really gonna go there.

I went to MusicFest and it was rad. Saw Sum 41. But we missed Plain White T's. Whatever, though. I'll see F-ING JACK'S MANNEQUIN TODAY AND THAT WILL RULE YOUR FACES OFF.

I am going to see Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is..., Cobra Starship, +44, and Paul Wall (????) in St. Louis. This is exciting as hell.

Everything is beautiful and right. I love the summer.

Quick Update.

Not a whole lot new.

I got a 99 on that paper that was due last week, which is pretty much the raddest thing ever. I took my English final today, which was sort of sad, because that class was mega fun. But now there is only one more final and then it will be SUMMA TYME, YA'LL. I'm stoked.

I spend a lot of time in Collierville these days at my cousins' house. It's way fun. I love cousin Reed. He's frigging awesome. It's almost like old times, hanging out over there.

Speaking of old times, I found my old LiveJournal and my even older GreatestJournal. I sort of sucked back then. Especially in the GreatestJournal days. But I was unhappy, and the writing reflected it. On the whole, it's funny to read those and see what was going on in my brain back then. I tried to be a lot deeper than I really am, too. Also, the layouts got all muffed because they're so old. But whatever. If you want a laugh, check those out.

I really can't believe that I've been blogging since 2003. Back then, though, I don't even think that I had heard the word "blog" yet. But I did it nonetheless. But I think that blogging is one of the main things that has helped me keep my sanity. Good times.

It's Official.

It is basically IMPOSSIBLE for me to get motivated. I should be working on my 8-10 PAGE TERM PAPER THAT'S DUE WEDNESDAY but instead, here I am. Blogging. I suck.

I am also eating Froot Loops and I love them.

My new Mp3 player gets here in 4 days. Yessssssss.

Let's mess with the new Hindi feature for a second, shall we?
हिंदी! फुक येस! फुक यो मम्म्य. फुक यो मम्म्य तित्त्य। Awesome.

Great Day.

Today is a frigging great day.

I am going to Rexburg this summer to see Matt. This is going to be so rock and roll, it's unbelievable. I am going to stay with my friend Jory when I fly into Salt Lake, then I will head up to the Burg. There's not much to do, but we will have fun nonetheless.

I am getting a new mp3 player, free of charge! And not the same one, but the 30 gig instead of the 8 that I had! I love warranties, seriously! Look how excited I am! Exclamation marks, ya'll!

I saw Meet the Robinsons and it was hysterical. I love that frigging T-rex, and it's not just because I love dinosaurs, either. Okay, maybe a little. But look at him...how could you not love him? Right?
Right.

Finally.

Life is making more sense. The weather makes sense. That horrible Indian kid isn't on American Idol anymore. Chem Lab is FINALLY OVER. And I finally broke out my favorite pair of shorts for their mayden voyage this semester.

My friend Levi is opening his mission call tonite. This is cool. I am happy for him.

Going to Las Vegas is just not happening. There is no way. It's impossible, really, and always has been. However, we are gonna go to Six Flags St. Louis which really is a close second.

Going to Virginia WILL happen. It has to.

Thus it Ends.

Matt, my best bud, is gone. He is somewhere between Tennessee and Idaho right now. He will be back in July, but it is probable that I will not be here when he returns.

This morning I woke up around 9. I laid on his bed listening to his dad and him pack his bags. Then I hugged him twice and left. I took a longer-than-usual pause before closing and locking the front door on the way out to make sure that I didn't leave anything behind.

I walked to my car with my hood pulled over my face to keep the rain off of my glasses. I got in the car, cranked it up, and turned on the heat. I listened to Sufjan Stevens's Michigan as a tribute. I love the song "Romulus."

I thought the last time Matt left was the end of the Era. But really. Today is.

I am not sad and, surprisingly, that is the 100% truth.


I have so many plans for the summer.
I hope they don't fall through.

Up to Date.

I haven't posted in forever but it feels like there is nothing to say. Here goes nothin'.

I am finding that I am more often than not sleepy as all get out. This is the case right now.

Life is challenging right now. Matt is leaving. The mission papers are not happening (rather, they are happening so slowly that no one, even myself, seems to notice). School is taxing. However, life is going well enough. I am happy, and that is good.

My cousin Reed got home from his mission in Nicaragua last Friday. I love that kid so much. He is so rad. I've hung out with him a couple of times and we haven't really done anything all that great, but it's still super fun nonetheless. I can't really understand a lot of what he has to say because he still speaks English like Nicaraguans (or Spanish speakers in general) speak Spanish. It's funny.

My trip to Atlanta was SO FUN. We (Matt, Kelly, Karen, and I) saw Jonezetta, Meg & Dia, Bayside, and Anberlin. Bayside wasn't that great, but the other bands were SO AWESOME. I had such a good time. The drives there and back were super fun. I love those kids.

School is almost out and this is very exciting. I have some huge plans for the summer. In May, I'm going to Birmingham to see my friend Rebecca and also this band, Animal Collective. In June I am going to Las Vegas then to Salt Lake City to see Matt. And then in either June or July I am going to see Chelsea Dodd. She's the coolest girl I know.

My mission will hopefully happen at the first of July. If not, I am cool to leave, at the latest, at the first of August. But, like I've said, this process is all going very slowly.

I am overwhelmingly excited to go on a mission.

Music and Literature.

Today is a rad day. I love it a lot. This morning felt really good. But I'm tired now, so I'm running out of good vibrations. If you want to have a good day too, go here and listen to the first song. It's about hurting a breaking up, but moving on. It's SO GOOD.

In English we are reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I must say I love that book. Someday I hope to have a son that's like young Pip; a lad who understands the hilarity and irony in the everyday. And a lad who is truly good. However, I hope my boys never fraternize with convicts, regardless of whether or not they are good at heart. I'm tellin' ya, read this book.

Just a Few Thoughts.

It feels like months since last I posted. It hasn't actually been of course.

I am tired and should go to bed.




I learned how to drive a stick tonight. I am so bad at it.



Goodnight.

I Can't Come Up with a Witty Title.

Every now and again I get this funky feeling in my body that makes me not want to sleep in my bed. I feel like sleeping, just not in my own bed. This is weird because I really like my bed. I have this feeling right now, so I am debating on sleeping on a pallet on the floor of my bedroom or on the living room couch. I'm leaning towards the couch, because constructing a pallet can be hard work.

I want to go to Arabia (does anyone call it "Arabia" anymore?). I want to go to Latin America. I want to go to Spain. I want to go to Africa. I want to go places where the sun is fierce and the culture is beautiful. I want to go places where the people are dark-complected because I want to be dark. My pale skin is insufficient.

I want to dance right now, but there's not really anyone to dance with.

You know, I could leave the country this summer for two whole years? Weird.

A Nice Mix.

I don't really know where to start. I'm pretty sick and, as a result, am highly medicated. Therefore, I am unsure if this will come out as incoherence or not.

This past weekend I hung out with Matt and Kelly. They got sushi and we played laser tag (I dominate at laser tag) and then Paige from my English class came over and we watched The Departed, which was not as great as I'd thought it'd be. Saturday night nothing really happened but I was so chill it was unreal.

Sunday I went to Mass with my friend Jody. Being Catholic is hard, man. You gotta stand up, sit down, recite some stuff, stand up, sit down, kneel, sit down, stand up, kneel, stand up, pray, and all the while, you gotta make sure that you're on the right page in the hymnal. Seriously, it's hard. I really enjoyed it. I'm not going to convert or anything, but it's nice to see Christianity from a different angle.

Anyway, I have a sad sort of feeling in the bottom of my gut right now. I just feel like the end of my youth is approaching fast, and it is. I am going to start on my mission papers this week. I will leave on a mission a boy and then come back a man. Crazy talk, man.



You know what's weird to me? The kid who plays Augusten in Running with Scissors also is in Flags of Our Fathers. Surprisingly, he fits both roles very well.

I am done here. I assume you are too.

Just Some Stuff I'm Thinkin' about Right Now.

I take an examination today and then after that it's SPRING BREAK. I will be able to turn my brain off for a whole week. That's very exciting.

Listen to Anberlin, because they will change your life. I love their music so much. They are just so Rock and Roll, you know? Real Rock and Roll. Not the gay kind.

I am unbelievably sleepy right now. Seriously, I can't believe it.

Angry (at the World, Perhaps).

Look how gay this band is. They are called Blinded Black, which is also pretty gay. Their music is pretty gay too.

Man, what happened to music, you know? Apparently, these days, Rock and Roll is all about fedoras, swooping hair cuts, popped collars, and going out of the way to look like a bunch of frigging fags. I mean, whatever.

I am very. sleepy right now. And always for that matter.

A Little Late in the Game.

I was just struck by the startling fact that I am in college.

I sort of never realized it before.





Weird.

Once More, A Short Blog.

I saw a bumper sticker on the way to school today that said "Don't just do it...Cowgirl it." I was confused for obvious reasons...what, exactly, does cowgirling entail?
I am going to Hunstville (or as I like to call it, "Hunstsvegas"...it's classier that way) this weekend to watch my best buddy play hockey.
I went to China buffet and it was pretty bad. But fun. We sucked the red Jell-o through straws and it made souds like this: SHEEEOOOOOOGHHHHHH.
I need to sleep more. And shower today.
Anberlin's CD comes out today. I need it but do not think I'll get it.

Another Starkly Brief Recap.

My Internet doesn't work at home, so I blog at school That's why these posts are so few and far between.
I saw Pan's Labyrinth and it was awesome.
Practically all my friends were out of town last weekend. I spent the whole thing with Matt.
My Valentine's day was spent with him also.
Life is cool. I like it.
It feels like spring time today and I dig it.

Recapitulation, Very Briefly.

I think I have an ear infection and I'm going to the doctor.
I dropped Chemistry.
I don't have a job.
I am most likely not going to Knoxville this weekend.
The 90s party I'm planning on having probably won't go down until soimetime in March.
I am very confused right now.
My Internet doesn't work.
Life is okay.

Good day.

I Should Probably be Doing my Homework.

These are the subjects of some of the spam that I've gotten lately, in no particular order:

Is my pulse
On is until
Not government
an probable
At the once
With be convention
I forgotten
her on mystery
do logical
bthesaurus
Re: your paraclet
it a eager
With electoral
The do advance
In latex
he morning
or mountain

You would think that if all of these people wanted me to invest in their pyramid schemes or buy their non-prescription Viagra that they would attempt to make a little bit of sense.

But then again they are trying to get me to invest in their pyramid schemes and non-prescription Viagra.

What Went Wrong?

Today was a frigging great day. Dina, Matt, Erin, Kristin, Jody and I went to the Collierville mall. It was so amazingly fun. I have never had so much frigging fun laughing in my entire life. I love those girls so much. They are always telling me to calm down and I like that.

But then the night time happened and things sort of soured.

. . . . . . .

I'm beginning to question the invincibility of some of the things that I thought were completely solid.

I am so selfish and so fickle and, right now, so very tired.

. . . . . . .

I would really love to watch Thursday night TV right now.

A Pretty Standard Post.

Is it even vaguely ironic to anyone that going to school has increased my apathy and lethargy? You know, I really wish that they would teach you something in college. Sure, they throw out thousands of dates, hundreds of facts, and a million pages of information, but I don't really feel like they're teaching me anything. I feel like college hasn't dramatically changed who I am, like I thought it was supposed to do. Maybe I'm at the wrong college. That could very seriously be the problem.

Anyway, I am under increasing pressure from my parents to get a job. I don't know why. Last semester I didn't have a job and everything was right as rain. But this semester is different for some reason. And I'm going to have to work for the rest of my life, so why should I work now? Whatever.

I wish I had time to read good books. But I am stuck reading text books. Bah.

Seriously? (2).

So you know how I don't like my chemistry professor? Well I didn't go to class today (because I hate him that much) and I got this email:

Either you missed class or you were more than 10 minutes late to class today.

Please do not expect to earn an acceptable grade by skipping class.


Will someone please explain to me the purpose of this completely purposeless message? Obviously, there was some sort of role taken today, but there never was before. But I don't need a notice telling me that I wasn't there, because I'm pretty sure I'm completely aware that I wasn't there. Also, this is the email in its entirety. The asshole doesn't even sign his name at the bottom. Probably because he feels like common courtesy is for those who are less intelligent than he.

Boy. I need to relax.

R & R.

I really think that life would be better if everyone would just relax. Just be, you know? Do what's right and don't sweat the small stuff. Relax, you know?

Like, I hate it when professors feel like they have to stop their lecture to ridicule someone who is walking in late or someone who is not looking at them. Isn't their stopping the fricking lecture more distracting than just one person looking at their fingernails? Yes, it is. I'm amazed how people with so much education can be so stupid.

Man, I do a lot of complaining about school, eh? But that's what I'm supposed to do, right?

Maybe I should just relax.

Bad Chemistry.

Oh boy, I hate my chemistry professor. I don't really understand why some professors think that they don't have to "teach," but he feels that way. I can't imagine being paid to teach but then not teaching at all. It seems dishonest to me. Today he said that he wouldn't teach us how to do this problem step by step because that problem wasn't going to be on the test and we'd only know how to do that problem. I'm not really sure how that could ever make sense, but I guess that's why I'm the student. Basically I just want to push him down the stairs.

In other news, nothing is new. My weekend was fun. That is all.

School Days.

There is one overwhelmingly gargantuan negative to going to school at the University of Memphis: half of my graduating class is there. Some of you may be thinking, "Well it can't be that bad," and to an extent you are right. I didn't talk to those people in high school, and I don't talk to them now. However, just seeing them makes me think of how much I hated high school. I really enjoyed being high school age. Being a teenager is high times, let me tell you about it. However, I really begrudge the fact that I was forced to socialize with a couple thousand people that I really just didn't like. Call me a jerk, but I'm just trying to be honest.

Granted, I did have a lot of friends at my high school and my graduating class. However, a huge majority of my schoolmates were enormous morons that I could care less about.

Other than all of that, my semester is going well. I have high hopes for all of my classes except chemistry, but I plan on studying hard. But basically, I am ready for the summer.

Man, I love Burt's Bees.

A Few Things.

The past few days have been very uneventful. Yesterday, I saw A Night at the Museum. It was pretty good. I laughed a lot. And my friend Porsche from high school was there. Then, today was supposed to be the first day of classes, but my one class on Tuesdays got cancelled. See? Uneventful.

Tomorrow I have three classes and the semester will pretty much start for me. I am excited. Only, I know I would be more excited if Matt were not here. He is going to be a huge distraction, I know. But I will work through it all, I suppose.

It is freezing here. All of the sudden it decided to be cold after a few weeks of 60° weather. I don't understand it. I really am obsessed with the weather. I don't know why.

"To the Well Organized Mind, Death is but the Next Great Adventure."

My first phone call of the day came at 2:06 PM. It was Matthew. He informed me that he was coming over and we were to go get lunch. Also, a kid with whom we go to church died in a car wreck this morning. Apparently he was on 385, hydroplaned, and went into oncoming traffic. I don't know all the details, but I have pretty much gathered that he died right on the spot. He was only 17 years old. How young.

Although I only vaguely knew him, this has had a sort of profound impact on me. Many of my friends were very close to him. I sympathize with so much with so many people right now.

I think of all of the things in life that I am to do. Go to school. Get some degrees. Have a career. Get married. Make babies. I have anticipated doing those things my entire life. I think of the plans I have (and I have many plans) and the things that I am wanting to be doing years from now. I think of how it would be if I could not do the things that I have been planning on doing for so long now. I think of what impact would be lost if none of my plans ever get executed. I think that it is not for me to decide.

I think that God understands everything. I think that trials, even the hardest ones, like death, are lovingly given to us by our Father in Heaven. I think He loves us more than we will be able to comprehend in this life. I think it is not ours to understand death, rather it is ours to deal with it.

In the Bible when Christ was on His way to heal the man Lazarus, he met Lazarus's sister. She wept, saying that Lazarus had died and had Christ been there earlier, she knows that He could have saved him. Although Christ later raises Lazarus from the dead, and He knew this, He weeps with her. He felt her pain along with her. That is what our God does. He sees the end from the beginning. He understands how everything will work out. And while it is hard for us, He will weep with us. He will feel our pain and will comfort us.

In a more non-religious sense, I have a deeper respect for the fragility of life. Our bodies can only take so much before they give out on us. We must be ready to take the plunge, even when we don't anticipate our diving in. Be ready for it. Love and live to the fullest.

My condolences go out to Corbin Chrisitensen's family. God bless you. I hope this time is made easier.

All's Well.

Been a few days since I last posted. I haven't been "busy," but I have been doing a lot of hanging out. Matt got in town on Monday, so I have been spending a huge amount of my life with him. During the day I don't really see much of him, but at night we're generally side by side. Which is weird because that's normal, and normalcy is a hard commodity to get a hold of lately.

Matt's and my relationship is basically the weirdest ever, I think. He and I are so different and it's crazy that we can be friends. Mostly when we are around others, we are loud and irreverent. But when it's the two of us, we are quiet and philosophical. We are really good at life, I think.

Basically, this week has been so much fun. I don't necessarily remember any specific highlights...it's just that I've been pretty content with everything. Which is cool. I got a new hoodie the other day and it's sort of amazing how new clothes make me feel good. I'm wearing it now and I love it a lot.

I missed my favorite television programs last night, so I am going to indulge myself. Good day.

Karate.

Music makes my insides feel like there are no gaps, as my insides are often wont to do these days.

Today was fun.
Blue Coast Burrito is delicious. Dina is high-larious. Matthew is back.

Tonight could have been better. But it wasn't.

Theme and Variation.

I am in over my head. That Fray song came on in the car on the radio as I pulled into the drive just now. I was sort of blown away at how overwhelmed I feel at this point. I thought I was adjusting somewhat well into "adulthood," what with college and everything, but I just feel like life is too much. I am supposed to get a job and study hard and be responsible.

But I just want to be me. And I do not like working and I hate studying. I will have to work for the rest of my life and I want to have this time to be me. But this is not realistic nor is it appropriate.

But then I listened to "Indestructible" by Matisyahu. In it it says, "Fear nobody but his Majesty." I have no need to fear or to worry. All I need to know is that my God is on my side and that I can get through this. I can be me and grow up all at the same time. Now this is what I have. Years from now, what I have will be work and a family.

But forever I will be Indestructible.

The Christmas Spirit is Definitely Dead.

The past few days we have been de-decorating our house. And I want to just throw all of the decorations in a pile and set fire to them. I have never walked up and down the stairs in this house more times in my life than I have yesterday and today. And I'm pretty sure that if I didn't have any morals, I would have already pushed my mother into oncoming traffic.

Also, I've had this great headache the past few days.

Basically, this week has ruled.

Tonight the first Four Square of 2007 will happen. I am stoked.

"La-La-La-La-Life is Wonderful."

Aldorn is gone and I am bored, so I suppose all is as it should be.

I have the sleepies.

FIRST POST OF 2007!

Happy New Year, everyone.

I hope that your 2007 is the greatest year of your lives. May you have health and happiness. So far I've had both...but it's hard to not be happy when I've slept most of the year.

My day today will consist of probably a Lord of the Rings movie marathon. Yippee!