I should have forgotten you long ago...
Anyone still checking in here surely has noticed that my posts are very infrequent. I can't claim that apathy and sloth had nothing to do with this, but it's also due, in part, to what this blog captured - a time in my life that is, for all intent, over. Like my website and travel blog before it, the time has come to let this space become what it is - a time capsule.
Farewell, readers. I'm off to the greener pastures of Goodbye, Samurai. I hope you will join me.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Monday, July 07, 2008
My brother, the... actually, I'm not sure what he is.
My little brother Todd came up from New York on Thursday to hang out for a few days. It was the usual movies and video games for a while, but after going out for a run on Friday, he returned to my apartment with tears in his eyes. It seems he was attacked by what he referred to as "an enormous, ill-tempered monster insect". My interpretation: your average mosquito. Now, the area swelled a bit, but he was fine - I told him to take some Benadryl and shut up.
My parents came up on Saturday for my slightly belated birthday celebration, but after seeing my brother's arm (and the tears welling up in his eyes once again), Mom demanded an emergency room visit. So, instead of presents and cake, we had two hours of sitting in Newton-Wellesley hospital. The end result of this needless excursion: a recommendation to shut up and take some Benadryl (this time from an actual MD).
Hooray for medicine!
My parents came up on Saturday for my slightly belated birthday celebration, but after seeing my brother's arm (and the tears welling up in his eyes once again), Mom demanded an emergency room visit. So, instead of presents and cake, we had two hours of sitting in Newton-Wellesley hospital. The end result of this needless excursion: a recommendation to shut up and take some Benadryl (this time from an actual MD).
Hooray for medicine!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Keith (Est. 1978)
Fearlessly the idiot faced the crowd, smiling.
Those with little patience for self-indulgence should stop here, hopefully awaiting my next post.
I entered my twenties as an undergraduate student at SUNY Farmingdale and an employee of King Kullen grocery stores, in the Seafood department. The year was 1998, and I was a pissed off kid. See, I had not long ago ended my tenure at the Pennsylvania State Univeristy, not by my own volition, but by theirs, as my grades were far beneath adequate. I knew, at my point of termination, that the end was near, but I figured I had one more blissful semester to enjoy before I got the boot. Not so, though, so I formulated a plan that I thought was airtight - to save up $500, get my parents to buy me some weatherproof garments (which they did), and go live in the woods at Penn State, continuing to enjoy the company of my matriculating peers. Needless to say at this point - my maturity has consistently been a step behind that which my years would lead one to believe. Fortunately, this plan was thwarted by my obsessive (and remaining) collection of music and movies - I was never able to accumulate the funds necessary to embark on this ill-fated journey. It should be noted, as I've now mentioned my obsesssion with music (one which has remained from my youth until this very day) that my attention broadened, happily, in 1998. I no longer focused solely on punk and metal, but turned, as well, to what Mr. Mike (and Mr. Mike would earn great mention in this post, had our relationship not formed in our teens) called 'old guy music' - and thank god (or whomever you like) for this, as a record collection without the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Cream, etc. would be sorely lacking, in my opinion.
It was also in 1998 that I became friends with Enston - we had known each other in High School, but were never close until we started hanging out. Since then, I've proudly served as co-Best Man at his wedding, and look forward to the birth of his first child, expected just days from now.
Eventually, I decided that getting a Bachelor's degree wouldn't be a bad idea, so I took the first step, graduating in 1999 with a 3.9 GPA at SUNY Farmingdale with my Associate's degree. It came time to pick a school to continue my education, so off I went to SUNY Albany, mostly because they had a Taco Bell in the commons (and my Dad was fairly pissed to find out that this was my criteria for choosing a school).
Albany was a blast, and I'm so glad a picked it, as I had the good fortune to make friends with Dave, Frank and Kenny, among others. If you'll indulge my sappiness for a moment, I'd like to say that those three have enriched my life in ways they'll never know (mostly cuz I'd never tell them). I again savored the college experience there, taking 2.5 years to do what should have been accomplished in only two, but nevermind.
I've many times been asked to compare my two main college experiences: PSU and Albany. It remains difficult for me, as they were both so formative, so important to who I've become, but they were, certainly, different. Penn State was about learning to learn from others, as I truly feel like I knew nothing before I went there (I went to a faily strict Catholic school). Albany was more about learning to become one of the guys - I was always (and still am) kind of a weird one, but Albany taught me how guys interact, and my life has been all the better for it. Also, PSU was more hanging out in people's dorms, apartments, or the woods. When I went to Albany, I was already 21, as were my peers, so it was more about hanging out in bars. I won't say one was better than the other, as they were both extraordinary experiences, but Albany was certainly what I would call a more 'realistic' life.
Coming home from college was, for me, really devastating. I graduated in December 2001, and had no idea what to do with my life. I had always thought that college was some lead-in to an easy life where everything was laid out nicely - coming to the realization that this wasn't the case was really hard for me. I was able to continue the job I had in the last semester of college (Pharmacy technician at CVS), and that lasted another 9 months before I found a 'real' job. That job, unfortunately, wasn't nearly what I was looking for... I spent about three years just showing up for work, hoping something better was coming along, and hanging out with Frank and Dave every weekend (though this was a lot of fun).
In July of 2005, I quit my job, and embarked on one of the greatest experiences of my life - I took what money I had saved and traveled the country by car for about three months. I went from New York to San Diego, stopping everywhere in between, including Atlanta (to see Mike) and Denver (to see Kenny). I guess I figured I would find that one place where I truly felt like I belong, but it wasn't to be. I came back to New York and stayed in my parents basement until I found an apartment in Long Beach with Dave.
It was at this time that I started hanging out with Sarah, an old friend from Penn State. I eventually moved in with her in Massachusetts, got engaged, then disengaged and moved into the place I find myself in now.
As I turn thirty, I find myself only marginally wiser... I'm in school, pursuing my MBA; I'm in a job that I enjoy (finally!), and I'm looking forward to seeing where this all takes me. I think I'm in a fairly peaceful place, but I continue to believe that my life still has many unwritten chapters.
The one thing that strikes me is this: when I moved from my teens into my twenties, I looked forward to new people and new experiences. As I move from my twenties into my thirties, I hope that the same people continue to see me through my future. I have many people to thank for who I am - my family, Todd, Mike, Enston, Kenny, Frank, Dave, Atom and Hnat. Thank you guys, for everything that you have given me, and know that I am forever in your debt.
Love,
Keith
Those with little patience for self-indulgence should stop here, hopefully awaiting my next post.
I entered my twenties as an undergraduate student at SUNY Farmingdale and an employee of King Kullen grocery stores, in the Seafood department. The year was 1998, and I was a pissed off kid. See, I had not long ago ended my tenure at the Pennsylvania State Univeristy, not by my own volition, but by theirs, as my grades were far beneath adequate. I knew, at my point of termination, that the end was near, but I figured I had one more blissful semester to enjoy before I got the boot. Not so, though, so I formulated a plan that I thought was airtight - to save up $500, get my parents to buy me some weatherproof garments (which they did), and go live in the woods at Penn State, continuing to enjoy the company of my matriculating peers. Needless to say at this point - my maturity has consistently been a step behind that which my years would lead one to believe. Fortunately, this plan was thwarted by my obsessive (and remaining) collection of music and movies - I was never able to accumulate the funds necessary to embark on this ill-fated journey. It should be noted, as I've now mentioned my obsesssion with music (one which has remained from my youth until this very day) that my attention broadened, happily, in 1998. I no longer focused solely on punk and metal, but turned, as well, to what Mr. Mike (and Mr. Mike would earn great mention in this post, had our relationship not formed in our teens) called 'old guy music' - and thank god (or whomever you like) for this, as a record collection without the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Cream, etc. would be sorely lacking, in my opinion.
It was also in 1998 that I became friends with Enston - we had known each other in High School, but were never close until we started hanging out. Since then, I've proudly served as co-Best Man at his wedding, and look forward to the birth of his first child, expected just days from now.
Eventually, I decided that getting a Bachelor's degree wouldn't be a bad idea, so I took the first step, graduating in 1999 with a 3.9 GPA at SUNY Farmingdale with my Associate's degree. It came time to pick a school to continue my education, so off I went to SUNY Albany, mostly because they had a Taco Bell in the commons (and my Dad was fairly pissed to find out that this was my criteria for choosing a school).
Albany was a blast, and I'm so glad a picked it, as I had the good fortune to make friends with Dave, Frank and Kenny, among others. If you'll indulge my sappiness for a moment, I'd like to say that those three have enriched my life in ways they'll never know (mostly cuz I'd never tell them). I again savored the college experience there, taking 2.5 years to do what should have been accomplished in only two, but nevermind.
I've many times been asked to compare my two main college experiences: PSU and Albany. It remains difficult for me, as they were both so formative, so important to who I've become, but they were, certainly, different. Penn State was about learning to learn from others, as I truly feel like I knew nothing before I went there (I went to a faily strict Catholic school). Albany was more about learning to become one of the guys - I was always (and still am) kind of a weird one, but Albany taught me how guys interact, and my life has been all the better for it. Also, PSU was more hanging out in people's dorms, apartments, or the woods. When I went to Albany, I was already 21, as were my peers, so it was more about hanging out in bars. I won't say one was better than the other, as they were both extraordinary experiences, but Albany was certainly what I would call a more 'realistic' life.
Coming home from college was, for me, really devastating. I graduated in December 2001, and had no idea what to do with my life. I had always thought that college was some lead-in to an easy life where everything was laid out nicely - coming to the realization that this wasn't the case was really hard for me. I was able to continue the job I had in the last semester of college (Pharmacy technician at CVS), and that lasted another 9 months before I found a 'real' job. That job, unfortunately, wasn't nearly what I was looking for... I spent about three years just showing up for work, hoping something better was coming along, and hanging out with Frank and Dave every weekend (though this was a lot of fun).
In July of 2005, I quit my job, and embarked on one of the greatest experiences of my life - I took what money I had saved and traveled the country by car for about three months. I went from New York to San Diego, stopping everywhere in between, including Atlanta (to see Mike) and Denver (to see Kenny). I guess I figured I would find that one place where I truly felt like I belong, but it wasn't to be. I came back to New York and stayed in my parents basement until I found an apartment in Long Beach with Dave.
It was at this time that I started hanging out with Sarah, an old friend from Penn State. I eventually moved in with her in Massachusetts, got engaged, then disengaged and moved into the place I find myself in now.
As I turn thirty, I find myself only marginally wiser... I'm in school, pursuing my MBA; I'm in a job that I enjoy (finally!), and I'm looking forward to seeing where this all takes me. I think I'm in a fairly peaceful place, but I continue to believe that my life still has many unwritten chapters.
The one thing that strikes me is this: when I moved from my teens into my twenties, I looked forward to new people and new experiences. As I move from my twenties into my thirties, I hope that the same people continue to see me through my future. I have many people to thank for who I am - my family, Todd, Mike, Enston, Kenny, Frank, Dave, Atom and Hnat. Thank you guys, for everything that you have given me, and know that I am forever in your debt.
Love,
Keith
It's my birthday, and I'm getting drunk.
When it's time to party we will party hard!
Well, hello.
Often, when a man enters his fourth decade, he pauses to reflect on his life. Perhaps I'll do that one day soon, but tonight, on the recommendation of Mr. Mike, I'm getting drunk.
My last few days have been downright blissful. See, I took the week off, not to go on some silly vacation, but simply to sit around and do nothing, something I just don't have time for when I'm working every day. Since leaving work last Friday, the bulk of my time has been spent sleeping. I'm like Sunny von Bulow without the allegedly murderous husband. My brief periods of consciousness have been filled with movies, video games, and the occasional sandwich. Naturally, my shower-frequency has plummeted. The best part of all of this is that I've only just now hit the 40% mark of my time off. However, the rest of the week should be slightly more active, as I have a softball game tomorrow, then Tooter arrives on Thursday, then the rents on Saturday.
At this point, it would be awkward to not address where I've been since my last post, more than a year and a half ago. Well, I moved to Massachusetts. There, now you're all up to speed.
Until I blog again, dear reader (and this should occur more frequently now, as I am unfettered)... godspeed.
Well, hello.
Often, when a man enters his fourth decade, he pauses to reflect on his life. Perhaps I'll do that one day soon, but tonight, on the recommendation of Mr. Mike, I'm getting drunk.
My last few days have been downright blissful. See, I took the week off, not to go on some silly vacation, but simply to sit around and do nothing, something I just don't have time for when I'm working every day. Since leaving work last Friday, the bulk of my time has been spent sleeping. I'm like Sunny von Bulow without the allegedly murderous husband. My brief periods of consciousness have been filled with movies, video games, and the occasional sandwich. Naturally, my shower-frequency has plummeted. The best part of all of this is that I've only just now hit the 40% mark of my time off. However, the rest of the week should be slightly more active, as I have a softball game tomorrow, then Tooter arrives on Thursday, then the rents on Saturday.
At this point, it would be awkward to not address where I've been since my last post, more than a year and a half ago. Well, I moved to Massachusetts. There, now you're all up to speed.
Until I blog again, dear reader (and this should occur more frequently now, as I am unfettered)... godspeed.
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