I gotta say that I had the COOLEST, and I mean the COOLEST, Friday ever.  I decided about a month ago that I would finally go to where the wind meets the clouds.  Yes, I went skydiving.  It was the best $180 that I have ever spent.  The four of us, forever mentioned as the Four Horsemen, started our class for the tandem jump around 8:30 that morning with the haze and sunrise just peeking out of the horizon.  It was the most beautiful morning that I have experienced in a long time, so it was good that I was celebrating it by jumping out of this little single engine plane.  I got to jump second, right after the youth pastor at my church.  I was glad that it let me get the adrenaline pumping, and by the time that they had landed and I was in my harness, I was ready to go.  I was doing that whole bouncing thing with my jump master so we both kinda looked ridiculous, but we had fun.  I was the first to pull my own rip cord, and I was also the only one that did a front flip of the side of the plane.  I couldn't believe what I was doing when at 10,000 feet we lifted the door and Ed, the jump master, told me to put my feet out the door.  I was expecting a little wind, but my one leg felt like it was ripped out of the hip.  Anyway, I finally got out of the plane and got set on the jumping pad, a little 1 foot by 1 foot piece of metal the barely held my own feet.  We rocked back and we were off as we fell about 5,000 feet in about 30 seconds.  (By the way, my mouth was open just like you see in the movies making my cheeks really big.)  The canopy opened and we started to slowly make our way to earth.  It was wierd.  When we were freefalling the noise was incredible, and once the canopy opened...nothing but silence.  An incredible feeling.  We did some turns and practiced the landing.  We finally came in and I almost took out one of the Horseman who was taking some pictures.  I have to say an awesome feeling.  If I can swing it, I might start the first jump program where I get to do the static line jump from about 3,500 feet on my own.  It was the biggest rush of my life, and I think it will be other than sex and maybe the birth of my kids, if I actually get that far.   I'm stoked for the future.

Wow...it's really been a long time since I wrote anything, but I think it's probably time.  This weekend was crazy, and I mean crazy.  As usual I only worked about 4 hours on Friday morning.  However about 3 hours later I found myself on the road to Michigan City to visit some friends (one of which was my old college roommate).  We had a great time catching up on old times and there was a lot of that since I haven't seen my friends in about a year.  After that we went to a park and played some frisbee and then got ready for dinner.  MMM Red Lobster was delicious especially what I had...steak and crab strips.  After dinner we headed to a community theatre where we watched the Glass Menagre ( I think that's how you spell it) a Tennessee Williams play.  It was very good, but long and it put the time at about midnight.  I felt somewhat awake so I traveled about an hour to get to Kyle's for a nice reunion with the boys. 

Saturday was even better.  I ate at IHOP with Kyle, and we then decided to attack the disc golf course...where I proceeded to school Kyle in the ways of discing.  Ironically, I spent the even with Tyler, Kyle's brother, because Kyle went to see some lady friend.  The two of us invaded Bethel's freshman orientation in search of some ladies that Tyler knew.  The entire time was hilarious just because there were only about a handful of people that knew that I wasn't a freshman and so I proceeded to act as if I was.  We did the meet and greet with other freshman at the ponds, in the auditorum, and during the ice cream social.  I have to say that I didn't even meet that many people when I was really a freshman.  What a difference five years make.  Anyway, I did end up grabbing a couple numbers from the ladies, who by the way were just wonderful.  A true classy group of people that I met that night as I played the "wingman".

Awhile ago I gave a friend of mine some advice on dating.  That advice was you get to first base if you don't swing the bat.  I realized later that some people just are in the game so this advice wouldn't help them.  Then I realized what the problem was.  I should have said in order to get to first base you need to get called off the bench and then you need to swing the bat.  I realized this during this last week when I really got to talking to this incredible woman.  I discovered that while I really thought that I was in the game playing, I was actually sitting there waiting to be called on by the Manager.  I think that time has finally come, and I finally get to swing. 

Yesterday was completely insane, and it really started at work.  All I had to do was make it through five hours of work...that's it only 5.  Unfortunately, for my boss I couldn't due to the fact that I stepped down of a skid and landed on a loose board and serverly sprained my ankle.  Needless to say, I am on crutches as we speak and will be on them for the next week.  (Although it does feel much better today, plus I got this really cool air brace and drugs.)  So what's my point.  Well last night I was invited to join some friends for a night out.  I honestly wasn't feeling up to it, but I had already made a commitment...yes men can do that.  Now I am completely glad that I did.  I got to talk to that incredible young woman all night long, bought her dinner (well she actually just shared mine), and watched The Emperor's New Groove.  I had a great time, and honestly wasn't going into this situation expecting anything, but I was totally surprised when she called me on the way home to thank me for letting her moouch on my dinner.  We are also planning on taking some trips this summer just for the heck of it.  I really don't know where all of this will leave, but I am certain that regardless of the outcome I will have gotten a great friend out of the deal.  So anyway here's some words of wisdom from Jack Handy:  When you go in for a job interview, I think a good thing to ask is if they ever press charges.

Yes, I'm back.  I know that it's been a long time since I last posted, but due to the glorious thing we call work, and the other CRAP, I haven't really thought about it.  I read Kyle's rambling, and it made me thing.  This not only applies to women, which I am just as notorious as Kyle in this respect, but it also applies to other stuff.  Take this for example: I've been trying to get a teaching job now for about 2 years.  Everytime I get ready to send in a letter I start getting this mentality of: do I really want to teach for the rest of my life?  The answer would be no.  That's the last thing in my mind.  But do I really want to be at the same factory job, or any factory job for that fact, for the rest of mortality?  Again, the answer is no.  I guess I just want to be lazy, and do the things that I want to do.  I want to play golf everyday, and those days I can't, I want to spend doing interesting things.  However, we all know that those days will come in time...it's called retirement, and unfortunately for me, that will only be achieved when I have reached those 25 years after I've finished teaching, and only if I'm lucky at that.  So I guess I gotta apply the same advice that I just gave Kyle...Hey, you can only get to first base if you take a swing.  Speaking of which...I think I might try me some batting practice this summer...time to get back into the swing of things.  I love the single life, but there's something missing when it's just all guys.  (i.e. female personna)  Peace.