The Prodigal Blogger Returns [Fall Semester '07]

And so, after a four month hiatus, I return to my blog. Usually during the summer I don't use my computer, save for checking Facebook and watching videos of European babies laughing. This resulted in a lack of posts on this blog, as well as a build up of e-mails in my mailbox, numbering somewhere in the hundreds. However, a new semester has begun, which means plenty of assignments for me to procrastinate on by posting on this site. Lucky me. Let's start with a re-cap, shall we?

The semester ended last year with a crappy series of final exams and plenty of goodbyes all around. I wound up with a GPA below 3.0 for the first time in my entire life, which sucks. Granted, the reason for the drop in grades is because I had no desire to do well in my biology and chemistry classes. I loathe chemistry with such passion it is almost unreal. However, some people refuse to acknowledge this, and would rather me do poorly in classes that I hate then do well in classes that actually interest me.

This summer vacation was by far the best I have ever experienced. It started off slow, not doing much more than playing video games and hanging out with Steeph. Things finally picked up in June, when my camp job started. Then it was parties every weekend and hangouts almost every night. I met a lot of cool people this summer, made some good friends, became a lot closer to some preexisting friends, and learned more about myself. The main point is, I actually had fun.

Against my parents wishes, I grew my hair out, and I actually think it looks pretty cool. A bit wild, a bit messy, but I like it and in the end that is what really matters.

And now I'm back in Binghamton, fighting the good fight and enjoying my new classes. All, that is, except for Microbiology, which I am taking in order to appease my parents with a Biology minor. Still, my English classes more than make up for it with their interesting and thought-provoking material. Theory seems like it will be a prime opportunity for good discussion; Race, Class, & Religion will be an equally interesting class, though quite work-intensive; and Shakespeare will be a good chance to expand my knowledge on the subject with a professor who seems about as crazy as Shakespeare himself.

In the end, I was able to return to school with a smile on my face, full of exclamations about what an awesome summer I had. And what made this summer so different then all previous summers? It wasn't the drinking, which there was plenty of. And it wasn't the great times spent sober with great people, although that is a large part of it. In the end, the answer is about as simple as they come: I stopped living for my parents and started living for myself. It seems like such a simple step, but it took me twenty years to take it and now, for the first time...

I FEEL ALIVE!