Straightening Up

For the first in what seems like forever, I feel like I actually have my shit in order.

For most of my adult life, I haven't been quite sure where I'm headed and how I'll do it. Nowadays, in academia, it's stressed to begin getting professional experience and knowing exactly what you're going to do after college and when you'll get it before you graduate. For me, I've always known my major, and have known what I need to graduate, but I had no idea what my plan of study would include, or when I'd actually get my degree. I was a headache for advisors.

But today, I was looking at my credits, and I realized that I had entire plan of action for the rest of my college career. I knew exactly what classes I need to take, and finally, it hit me - I knew when I was going to graduate.

Of course, my advisor set an arranged date for me last semster - December of 2011. I was ok with that, until I saw that the last semester consisted of six hours. That's it. Six hours. Two classes.

I was really going to wait around an entire Fall semester JUST to take SIX hours?

That's when I realized that it wasn't worth the money to take more classes and be stuck in school. Now at year four, I want to get out of here. It's been fun, and has been quite an experience, but it's time to get on with life. That Fall, I could be working full-time and doing my own thing (finally!)

And that's when I decided to stay in Athens for the summer...and take classes!

Come May, I won't be sitting around the house like I used to when I attend Gainesville College. I'm taking full initiative and requesting a POD (Permission of Department) to take my News Editing class - A graduation requirement. There's one of those classes out of the way.

When June rolls around, I'm doing my country proud, and taking History of Canada. Since I've never really taken the time to learn the history of my birth nation, I see this as an interesting opportunity to identify more with where I come from. And I get upper-division elective credit. Huzzah!

That also brings me to the fact that I ditched my certificate in New Media and picked up a minor in History. That also speeds up the graduation process.

With both of those classes out of the way, There's less classes I need to take in order to graduate, and if all goes well with scheduling, I'll be out here May of next year. Exactly five years of college. Could be worse.

Chances are I won't be able to do an internship before I'm done, which I realize is not wise, but I like to see my year and a half with The Times as an internship in itself. I'm not too worried. I'm well aware that I know how to write, and I already have one publication that backs me on that statement.

Of course, my advisor could totally butcher this plan when I get advised in a little over two weeks. But I'll work with her. She's a nice lady.

Also, if I make all A's this semester, my GPA is back over the 3.0 hump, which means I don't pay a dime for college (for you out-of-staters, Georgia's HOPE scholarship covers 100% of a student's tuition at any in-state institution, as long as they have a GPA over 3.0). Incentive to do well.

As for outside the classroom, I hit a bump in the road that I was afraid would change all of my academic plans. Because I dropped my New Media class, I'm only taking 10 hours this semester - part-time status. As a result, I fell off my father's health insurance plan he had for the family. So right now I don't have health insurance.

Worried that I wouldn't be able to attend school without a health plan, I consulted my parents, who have agreed to help me find a new plan I can afford, and will cover me if I have another bout of testicular torsion (you think I'm kidding). I also got a little bit from my Grandmother, who sent me some money that will help me pay for this until I get a job.

Which brings me to the next issue. I'm still unemployed, and struggling to find work. It's hard to find a job in Athens nowadays, with the economy still a little rusty and 35,000 students in this town also looking for work. I've applied to a few places but haven't heard back. It's getting a little frustrating, but I know there are jobs out there. I'm keeping my eyes open.

The plan is to look for work now to cover my insurance and help with rent, then work as much as I can while I take my classes during the summer. With so many students heading home for the summer and not needing to work because Daddy has them covered, hours will be plentiful, and I will benefit greatly.

So that's pretty much the whole plan. I know what I need to do, and intend on doing whatever it takes to work it out.

And so you ask, what is the reward for getting all of this done?

Well, once again thanking my Grandmother, I can afford to send myself and The Lady on a Western Caribbean cruise in July. Barring denial from her father, we're setting sail for what appears to be the best vacation I've ever had. More about that in later posts (I hope).

So here's a flowchart of my upcoming life:

Find health insurance --> Get job --> Make all A's and get a B average back --> Take two summer classes --> Stay in Athens in May and June, take those classes, work and make serious money --> Live in the lap of luxury for a week on a huge boat --> Full 15-hour load in Fall semester --> Wrap up loose ends in Spring '11 semester --> Graduate --> Get the hell out of here --> Begin life. Real life (Unless I go to grad school, which is a whole different story).

There it is. This sloppily-written blog will be reference if I stray from this plan.

And off we go.

Mitch

Collective

This is my girlfriend.

She means the absolute world to me. There is no one I would rather spend a free day with. She's wonderful in all aspects.

Recently, we got into, well, I don't want to call it a fight. Maybe more of an emotional disagreement.

I sometimes struggle to believe in myself. Too many times in the past I've tried to go beyond the norm for someone I'm feel for, only to come up short.

Now I kind of feel like I'm constantly having to be the very, very best that I can for someone in all ways possible. And if I'm not, I'm going to lose them. It's happened way too many times.

I once again have a person in my life that I want to introduce to new, exciting things. Take her places. Be someone different than just another face in her life.

And when I feel that I'm not that person, I feel like I'm not doing my job to the fullest.

Being a boyfriend can be hard.

But she keeps giving me reasons to stay by her side.

Greetings from Athens (Again)

Well, I'm back in Athens.

I've been here for about a week now. It's nice to be back in the groove of things after spending most of my Christmas Break sleeping on a couch. Classes aren't too bad. News Writing, New Media Production, and two absolutely thrilling History classes. Electives. Bleh. It's a pretty straightforward goal this semester: B average. All A's would be nice, but I can't shoot for the highest stars.

It seems that the glamour of a new semester has worn off. It wasn't ever really there. I guess that's due in part with the fact that I've been doing this for four years now (no, I'm not graduating just yet). It has almost become routine at this point to assume that I'll be in school and just taking one class after another for most of the year.

Not going to lie, school is boring, and I want it to be over soon. Not complaining about the classes itself, they're fine. I suppose the desire of wanting to get out and get on with my life is slowly crawling on me. It's been fun being young, and it's been nothing short of a privilege to have the college experience I've had. Not everyone gets to attend a top-shelf J-school at a nationally-acknowledged university.

But now, at the old-man age of 21, I want to move forward. Now that I'm a legal liquid consumer, the glitz and glam of alcohol consumption has diminished, and now I see a beer as a refreshing beverage and nothing else. Parties are still fun, but not the hullabaloo of college it once was. Call me crazy, or just call me...grown up?

I'm a more relaxed person than I used to be. I don't mind it at all. I used to get angry too much. Now I barely get angry at all, at least with others. I've become more tolerant of the hardships in life. I'm coming to discover that things could be a lot worse. They're not really even that bad anyway; I have it pretty well right now.

If all goes well this year, I'll get to do some traveling. A trip planned with my parents in the summer, and another small trip with The Lady once her dad gives us the green light to head out. Change of scenery will be very much welcomed.

At least for a temporary amount of time. I still have too much here to leave behind just yet. Not that I had contemplated any concrete departing plans anyway.

In the meantime, I continue to just paddle along the ebb and flow of Athens. There's still work to be done.

Out,

Mitch

First Post of 2010

This will likely be a short one, as it's super late and I'm incredibly tired. I figured it's only right that I give this blog a little love before I take off.

I also made a few changes to the layout. Thought I'd give this thing a touch of my school's colors for a sense of individuality (?), and because the default template colors I previously used were putrid.

Well, it's 2010. A whole new year, and a whole new decade (to those who agree that the decade begins on the zero year and NOT the one year). We're venturing into the thicket of the 21st century, and not a single car has taken to the sky yet. Cell phones are replacing computers, ancient sports records are being broken one by one, and the History Channel believes we only have two years left before life on Earth is completely eradicated. Better get some canned survival food.

A new year is like a your second trip to the buffet. You get a new plate, you have a variety of food to choose, and what you do to that plate is up to you. Right now, at the beginning of the year, the plate is clean, but as you add more to it, it gets messy, yet could possibly turn out better than the last trip.

And there you have it, folks. The worst analogy ever created.

Nevertheless, while 2010 offers new resolutions and goals for many, my 2010 appears to be a continuation of things I've already set out for. I'll be in school, now fully settled into UGA. I'll eventually have a new job, and I may actually take some time out of my life to start thinking about my future. My girlfriend and I began dating about halfway through December, meaning we have this whole year to make great memories. All in all, it looks to be a pretty straightforward 365 days ahead.

However, if there's one goal I would like to set for myself, it's promising myself to travel a bit in the near future. I will be seeing the Grand Canyon this summer, and plan on using some family inheritance money to have a small vacation with my girlfriend. Then it'll be time to start saving some money for the post-graduation adventure across Europe, which anyone with a desire to be educated in culture should do at some point. I'm tired of being pinned down in Northeast Georgia. Time to set sail.

For now, my only option is to set sail to my bed.

Goodnight,

Mitch

Yeah, yeah. I did it again.

I neglected the blog.

So, so sorry. I apologize for leaving you masses to an internet catatonic state.

Yeah, I've probably gotten like five hits in blog history, let alone in this three-month departure. I have no reason to be apologetic to anyone.

But for those of you readers who have wondered what I've been up to the last few months, I'm here to fill in. However, life has been a mountain highway ride lately, and there's a lot of twists and turns. Heads up, time for a bulleted list.

So here it is, the wicked cool bulleted list of things I've done since my last post:

- I finished my first semester at UGA. Passed every class, did fairly well in fact (minus my Psychology class, which we'll mosey away from). And now that I'm Christmas break and can look back it, I can honestly say it was most likely the most drastic change of my life. It was up and down, good and bad and everything in between. There were times when I didn't think I would make it, and times that I never hoped would end. And in the end, I can truthfully say that it was all worth it. I learned to live on my own, all while going to an absolutely incredible university. I also spent a ton of money. That's another story.

- I made some great friends. After feeling rather dumb compared to everyone else, I start to establish some identity and figured out what things made me individual. After that, I didn't feel so stupid. I anchored a pub trivia team to a league championship, and learned along the way that I know a lot of useless information that no one else knows. I also know more about sports than 99 percent of the common population. Once I realized all of this, I had twice as many friends as I probably used to.

- I got a girlfriend. What's that you say? A real girlfriend?! Indeed so. It seems I found the outlier I spoke of in an earlier post. We met at the tail end of the semester, right around finals. It's a fairly young relationship, but a wonderful one nevertheless. She's a perfect mix of what I need: a dreamer with huge aspirations and the drive to pursue them, yet so down-to-earth that she sustains a life at a level I can be comfortable with. Pretty, pretty eyes, a cute smile, and one of the most humble personalities I've found in a while. A definite keeper. More will be spoken of her.

- I watched a lot of football. Ok, so the season didn't quite turn out how most Georgia fans would've envisioned it, but we got a couple of glimpses of the future, including a future without quarterback Joe Cox and a couple of sloppy defenders. The season was redeemed at the end of the year, with a huge 30-24 win over Georgia Tech. We now look to the Independence Bowl for a date with Texas A&M, then an offseason full of big-time recruiting, new coordinator hirings and sweet, sweet dreams of a new freshman quarterback next season.

- I watched a ton of hockey. On TV and in person (Already hit up the arena four times!). It's the best start in Thrashers history, as they currently slide into the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference. They've sucked as late, but there's plenty of time to turn it up as the trade deadline approaches. A couple more wins, and Ilya Kovalchuk is thinking twice about creating contract snags. Impressed? Not completely, but more than usual.

That about wraps it up. Now it's Christmas Break (as I post this on my brand-new laptop), and I begin to ponder the prospects of the new decade looming ever so quietly. No real concrete resolutions for myself this year. Just hoping for more good times at UGA, wonderful days ahead for my girlfriend and I, and successful seasons for my beloved teams.

Oh yeah, one official resolution. Blog more.

Out,

Mitch

Things With the Word "Southeast" in it.

In an attempt to increase readership (from zero readers to one), I think I'm going to start advertising the blog on my Facebook page. This means two things:

1. I must update more often in order to satisfy the masses.
2. I must prepare to battle the scrutiny of my peers.

Here's to the effort accomplish both.

As of now, it's been eons since I've updated this thing. Long enough for TWO Georgia games to pass. Oh boy, I have a lot to say, so lock your safety restraint and keep your arms and legs inside the train as it leaves the station and approaches the lift hill.

So Georgia started the season ranked No. 13 with a goliath of a Week 1 opponent in Oklahoma State awaiting them. Poised to be the typical "team from the better conference" and force an upset, the Bulldogs instead headed to Stillwater and played shaky football, losing 24-10. The result was a plummet to No. 21, while the Cowboys jumped up to No. 5.

We were upset for, like, five minutes. Then we realized that Oklahoma State was "the new Texas Tech" in the Big 12, and could very much be a conference contender. After that, we got drunk.

Then Week 2 came around. And Oklahoma State lost.

To Houston. No, not the Texans. The Conference USA team. Yeah, those guys.

We all knew what it was going to take to for Georgia not to look like a lost cause--a beatdown of South Carolina. A non-ranked SEC team coming to Sanford. That could definitely happen, right?

Um, we came one play shy of losing.

And oh yeah, we dropped again. To No. 23. Oklahoma State is No. 16. And we look like crap.

Meanwhile, FOUR SEC cracked the Top 10. We went from being a possible contender to Oscar the Grouch of the SEC Sesame Street. In two weeks.

So where does Georgia go from here? 1-1, one embarassing loss and one embarrasing win. One week we get one touchdown, the next we pile up 41, while allowing a crapload of points and yards. We've become an NFL team. The playing field appears to be even no matter what, so we may or may not win every week. There's no guarantee.

This week, the Bulldogs visit Arkansas, an SEC outlier that has one win under its belt this year--a 48-10 over Missouri State. I can barely count that as a football game.

Georgia could possibly get a boost by walloping the Razorbacks. They haven't played anyone yet, and I'm sure Mark Richt has enough fire enough right now to strike fear in his players should they not improve this week.

But, as emphasized in the aforementioned statement, who knows that to expect? I honestly can't predict this team right now. We can gather around the big screen with our chips and salsa and assume that we're going to annihilate an non-ranked opponent since we have a rank. But we can't really do that anymore. We have to be on our toes.

So here's the scenarios we can expect Saturday:

1. We win big, and preserve at least a little intimidation. If we hold Arkansas to single digits, while breaking, say, 30, we stay in the rankings. We might even move up a bit.
2. We win by a squeaker, like last week. The offense sucks. the defense cracks again. Arkansas is better than we think. Any combination of those. We likely drop again, and face falling out of the Top 25 for the first time in ages.
3. We lose. We automatically drop out. We question our team's status. We consider calling this a "rebuilding year."

If this season is a snowman, this week's game is where we start seeing the shape of body. We know where things are going, but the carrot nose and stick arms aren't on yet.

Out,

Mitch

College football is here!

At this point, I'm starting to realize that this blog is turning a sports blog. Frankly, I'm ok with that, since anything otherwise is so unimportant its not worth wasting HTML over.

But what is worth blabbing about is the fact that God's gift to Earth called college football has finally arrived! It officially began yesterday, with good matchups between South Carolina and North Carolina State, as well as Boise State and Oregon.

The South Carolina-NC State game was pretty good for the amount that I saw. I watched the opening kickoff and the entire first quarter, left to study for a bit, then came back for the fourth quarter. Since Georgia has the Gamecocks next week, I wanted to see what was coming our way. South Carolina is a good team, but had its sloppy moments, hopefully something Georgia can take advantage of next week.

As for the west coast game, Boise State was all over Oregon. Oregon was AWFUL in the first half; I think they had only 14 total offensive yards (too lazy to check ESPN). I don't know if it was the blue turf or what, but I can't imagine the Ducks staying at No. 16, or even in the rankings for that matter, if they play like that the rest of the season.

The Boise State win was also the Broncos' 50th staight at home. I think it's about time to start considering a conference move. Year after year, Boise State gets cupcake opponents within its conference, when it has made clear that it belongs in a automatic BCS conference. Throw them in with the Pac-10 and let a team drop out. Shit, let's get British soccer-style delegation going on and send Washington packing.

Oh, and Ducks running back LeGarrette Blount punched a dude in the face. Just thought I'd throw that in there.

Saturday also brings so more good Week 1 battles. In the past, a ranked team's first opponent of the season was typically an FCS team or a mid-major conference pushover. That trend looks to be dwindling, as Georgia goes up against ninth-ranked Oklahoma State tomorrow. How's that for a wake-up call?

Of course, the ruckus on campus is what you'd think: "Dawgs are gonna go apeshit on O-kay State," in light of what happened when the Cowboys came to Athens two years ago. Eh, this isn't the same Oklahoma State team, and quite frankly, I'm kind of worried. The Cowboys have a lot to play for in this game. It seems that there's only room for three bruisers in the Big 12 each season. Last year, it was Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech. Now that Texas Tech is rebuilding, the Cowboys are the favorite to slide into Big 12 triforce. And what better way to do it than beat a very good SEC team.

But, of course, I'm confident in the Bulldogs. They too have a lot to play for. This is the first chance, and a very good chance, to state that Georgia was more than Stafford and Moreno. A win this week might open the curtain to the Top 10, as well as improve their status in the SEC.

If the Bulldogs come ready to play, I give them a 41-35 win in Stillwater. If not, then things could fall apart quickly.

Until next time,
- Mitch