Life after UT

LEO horoscope for the week of Dec. 6, 2007:
To many Tibetan Buddhists, the snow lion is a symbol of fearless joy, which is a cornerstone of their spiritual practice. I trust that in 2007 you have learned a lot about this sublime quality, and I hope you will make it the basis of your daily rhythm in 2008. These last two weeks before the solstice will be an excellent time to integrate all the teachings you've absorbed about fearless joy, and to prime yourself to take your mastery to the next level. What other terms can you come up with to describe this superpower? How about "brave bliss," "aggressive happiness," or "fierce pleasure"?

Ahhhm.

Those thoughts bring me peace on this lovely Tuesday evening. I watched the pink and purple sky fade over the Knoxville skyline on the hill where I work. It wasn't even 5:30 and the sun was gone. A beautiful way to end my last day of undergraduate classes, if I do say so.

I turned in a final article for environmental writing, and I need to crank out some query letters for Ashdown tomorrow morning. Shouldn't be a problem. Then all that stands between me and graduation is a final test, a final presentation and a pizza party. The thought makes me shiver...shiver with delight of course. It's hard to believe...! I don't even feel like I need to recap, just press on with future matters, like organizing my house, applying for various jobs and going on a trip out west in hopes of finding a new home.

Home like a new city to live, home like a new nest, whether it be in the Northwest or ....hell I don't know where. I'm open to ideas, inclinations, suggestions. For now, I'll be here, in homely Knoxville, planning a quick escape, indulging in good books and reveling in life after UT.

I can finally let all the bitterness go, when that sweet diploma rests in my hands. I want nothing more from them, and they should expect nothing more from me. I'm moving on to bigger and better things. I've had a wild ride of a year, oh 2007, and I'm ready for a challenge.

So bring it on.

echo echo e c h o e c h o e c h o

This weekend? Amazing.My biggest festival yet. The most musical exposure I've had in a while.

I'm still glowing! Seeing all of those young people gathered together for a good cause, good music and a good time was spectacular. My faith in humanity has been lifted. My faith in my GENERATION has been renewed. I feel renewed.

I feel like we can change the world.

But back at school, my favorite and most frequented computer lab is closed. I'm coughing up dust from this weekend. I have mounds of homework and back work to attend to, and I'm working this evening. For some reason, work seems refreshing. School work...not so much. But I graduate in TWO MONTHS. It's SO close I can taste it. I'm going to work on getting my invitations ordered and ready in a minute...

I think I need to rest a bit more before completely reflecting on the weekend in writing. Because there's a lot going on in my mind, and a lot of thoughts are budding and being blown around, and I want to get to the bottom of them. But first...I gotta wrap up some stories, unpack my car, and go Hooooome, cause I've been waiting to get there all morning.

More later. Love now.

Thanks, Rob.

From freewillastrology.com:

LEO for the week of October 11
"As soon as your concern yourself with the 'good' and 'bad' of your fellows," said Morihei Ueshiba, founder of the martial art of aikido, "you create an opening in your heart for maliciousness to enter. Testing, competing with, and crticizing others weaken and defeat you." Make that your hypothesis in the coming week, Leo. Proceed according to the theory that you can feed your strength and power and freedom by accepting other people just the way they are. Assume that one of the surest ways to be happ and successful is to judge no one.

Fucked up

PASSIFY ME. TRY TO SLOW ME DOWN NOW.

I feel powerful. I feel like I have mastered something, although I can't quite pinpoint what.

I'm leaving for Echo today! Headed to Chattanooga to have dinner with the family and go out with friends. I haven't been there since July, I think. That's hard to believe. Two years ago, I was there every weekend. A year ago, I was camping in Middle Tennessee. Today, I'm mastering the art of concertration. My furrowed brow peeping over the top of the Mac sceen.

A sports guy I haven't met said to me yesterday, "Now that's a look of concentration." I think I was updating a page proof or something, or writing a headline. But for some reason, the prospect of leaving town and have five days off of work has filled me with a positive energy that I haven't felt in a while. I feel it in the breeze. I see it in my friends' smiles as I approach them. I hear it in my mom's voice when I rehash my plans to come see her Thursday with my friends.

I have waited so long to go to Chattanooga. I think I'm going to blow through my next class and skip town early. My foot is craving that gas pedal, cruise control and traffic. I want to be driving down the ridge cut, gazing at downtown, admiring the surrounding mountains, going home to see my beloved puppies and suprising friends who I haven't seen in MONTHS.

This is the feeling I crave on game days, when Knoxville is flooded with orange. When I would give almost anything to be in my hometown.

Won't be staying long, as my friends are driving down tomorrow to join me in Rising Fawn and then WE LEAVE for Atlanta Friday morning! WAHOOOOOOOO.

Go forth and prosper.

Myspace withdrawl.

After reading one too many articles about Murdoch's myspace hell, I'm trying to wean myself from the damned thing.

Step One: Start a new blog, on a new site.

I started this puppy not too long ago but never posted. I like the audience I have on myspace. But that's something I want to fight. After one too many pop ups that make noise, one too many spammers, one too many flying-across-the-screen ads...I'm trying something new.

Main Entry: ²change
Function: noun
1 : the act, process, or result of changing : as a : ALTERATION change in the weather> b : TRANSFORMATION change> changes> c : SUBSTITUTION change of scenery> d : the passage of the moon from one monthly revolution to another; also : the passage of the moon from one phase to another e : MENOPAUSE
2 : a fresh set of clothes

That's what I want. This is how I'm doing it.

Sappy Sundays

I find it rather ironic that the blogger post site lists "scooters" as an example of a label. "scooters, vacation, fall."

I haven't been driving my scooter too much this weekend, though. It's been about 40 degrees and rainy all Sunday. Yesterday was equally nasty, just not quite as chilly.

Just bought the new Andrew Bird cd. It's fantastic.

I'm still deciding how to merge my two blogs.. or if I even want to merge them. Seperate sites, seperate content? That would be double dipping (not double dicking, a term Tess introduced to me last night - good one). Right? Eh. This will just be my outlet as I ATTEMPT to move away from myspace.

We'll see.

Another

Another blog? Really? Can't I just limit myself to one...

I'm tired of myspace and these "social networking" sites. They really are addicting. And they really do take away from normal, face-to-face relationships. So as I was reading articles for my upcoming urban politics paper, I decided it's time to try a new blogging site. One day I'll just have my own site for all of my things. But till then, we'll try blogspot.

Here goes nothin.