Busy Indeed

Yeah, it's been way too long since I've last blogged.

2009 now. Well, it's been for almost 2 months. I recorded the historic presidential inaugaration and have the speech downloaded as well.

For now, I'll just say that I've applied for grad school, again. Let's hope the 3rd time really is a charm! I'm still a health coach. My certificate classes are keeping me very, very busy. I'm enjoying being a student again, but it is tough balancing out work time, study time, class time, wife time, friends time, family time, and alone time.

I'm still listening to a bunch of ridiculous comedy podcasts and audiobooks: The Mustache Rangers, Never Not Funny, The 40 Year Old Boy, The Sound of Young America, The Bugle, and anything with Ricky Gervais.

I'm also stepping up the intellectual side by occasionally listening to NPR, KFAI, various public health podcasts, This American Life and the RadioLab podcasts. Those are all fantastic.

That's it for now.

Expression

I thought I'd transpose an untitled poem I wrote in late April whilst listening to the newest Explosions In the Sky. Not a huge surprise on the themes, based on the music.

And sometimes we stare...

We stare and find that our past
cannot be seen beyond the glass.

There is a need that feeds apathy,
and one that rejuvenates energy;
let's pick the latter, if we are to rise,
meeting our expectations with no hesitation
now that we've found a way to balance all sides.

Yes, it takes a toll on the eyes,
pushes patience towards acceptance
once the work is done,
once real words are spoken,
heartfelt ones that come from prolonged introspection.

It is at this juncture do we seek investigation
to what lies deeper, further,
beneath our preconceived misconception.

We shall arrive at acceptance if love is used as our guidance,
a presence felt on many levels,
distinguished from the religious as its personal benefits
take into account, waiting and many measurements
that determine a wholeness described in concrete concept.

Or a fractured scribble written to fill in that tremendous gap,
the one that really feels like a trap when you transcribe that notation.

Looking further to discover its rotation,
a relationship so simple
it renders you senseless until you decipher that message,
the lesson that is invaluable:

Life is what lies within; no more distance is needed
once your first deep breath is taken.

From there, it is a given.



Copyright 2008 Supernovaflip

Get Moving!

Move physically...biking, running, lifting, stretching, flossing (yes, it counts). This week I've biked about 40 miles total. 35 of them to and from work, roughly, for one trip. It takes a while, but it is a gorgeous ride. I've broken in my new running shoes, with a half mile walk/half mile run and a full mile run, respectively, this week. My lifting is getting better. Flossing needs to improve. Or begin.

Move mentally....write poetry, journal, tape record, meditate, read, ponder, investigate, listen to music. I've been listening to some post-rock late at night (and am right now) and reading my journal entries over the last 3 years or so. Quite a few changes, that's for sure. Just trying to maintain the balance, like always. Haven't written poetry in a while (besides a poem here and there for lovely Katie). I don't think my creativity is gone. It's just been...displaced...elsewhere. Yeah....

Job rejections have been plentiful, but my motivation remains. Making some decent connections in public and community health. Have a few opportunities pending. Need to work on applying for the certificate program. Just hoping this helps me break into the field.

Move emotionally....hang with friends, laugh, enjoy, savor, express. Haven't done enough of that.

Not a very exciting post, but an insight nonetheless.

A Smattering of Updates

Since I've pretty much lost a lot of interest in blogging each month, I've decided to write about comedy, music and some stuff from my life. And as you can see, I'm trying a new template. I've temporarily lost the links to my friend's blogs, but I will put them back on again soon, and most likely list some podcasts and comedians worth checking out and becoming addicted to. Beauty.

I've been hooked on comedy for a while now thanks to a great friend of mine. I've been listening to podcasts by Ricky Gervais , Jimmy Pardo and the Bugle. I've also seen some amazing comedians: Todd Barry, Louis CK, Eddie Izzard, David Crow, Eugene Mirman, Andy Kindler, Mark Moran, and many others whom I can't quite remember unless I reference my scheduler. It's been fantastic. I've also gone to $1 improv Sundays at Brave New Workshop, where I saw some ridiculous, talented, wacky, hilarious and genius comedy skits. Of special note, The Mustache Rangers. They are beyond awesome, if that is indeed possible. I also feel that my wit has sharpened and that I've grown funnier, if there is such a thing. Maybe that's just me being an ass, but that's how I feel about it.

I've joined Gmail finally, got on Facebook and even joined LinkedIn. Probably one of the reasons why I haven't blogged in a while. Sadly, I haven't seen any rock concerts since Down and Above in late February. Doesn't help working evenings during the week for that either. But I have purchased the newest Oceansize album, Frames, which is just gorgeous through-and-through. The new All The Way Rider, The Eagle's Revenge, is straight up rock all the way 'round, with influence from Oceansize and their usual preferences right there.

There's been enough family stuff going on since the last post, but I don't need to share it here. I'm still searching for part-time or full-time work in community health, or health education/promotion. Current job is going well. Also looking into volunteering places to get that solid, relevant, community health experience. I've received many rejections from numerous employers, but I'm still trying and applying. Looking into applying for a certificate program in the core concepts of public health for this fall, as a gateway for re-applying for the MPH in Fall 2009. Haven't written much poetry lately. Still going to the gym on a decent basis, but really just maintaining. I did get a new pair of futuristic looking running shoes and I aim to break them in soon. I'm thinking of getting semi-slick tires to convert my mountain bike to a hybrid. I've played some baseball with friends, and managed to hit some balls out of a little league field. Woo. And I seem to be addicted to my baseball game on PS2. So there it is.

That's about it for now.

D'oh.

It happened again. I was denied admission into grad school. I received the letter yesterday, waited for Katie to get home so I could open it and boom....history repeats itself. The letter gave the same reasons as the last on. Nothing specific to my application, just general guidelines that I suppose I'll have to follow up with to see exactly why I was denied.

I'm very surprised, considering I did much better on my GRE. My letter of intent couldn't compare to my first one, so I thought. I got an A in a graduate-level course, had good letters of recommendation, have relevant work experience and all of that. I just don't know. Either way, I'll have to find out the reasons or try something else.

Who knows. Maybe I'll be a Health Fitness Specialist and not worry about community health. My current job is going well so far. I've sought public and community health jobs so I can gain knowledge of the field, and it's one where I've wanted to pursue further academically. I could apply to different schools, I guess. I have options. I'm not going to act on them right now, though. Not until I find out why I wasn't admitted. It really does suck.

Luckily I saw Down and Above play a phenomenal, grade-A+ show at the Fine Line last night for their CD release. I listened to it once today, and it's so, so, so very good. And it'll just get better with each listen. Currently I'm listening to 'The Earth Is Not A Cold, Dead Place' from Explosions In The Sky as I type this entry. It soothes me. Perhaps I'll bike around today, as it is warmer compared to weeks, or months, past. Or just sit and play video games for a while like I've been doing recently. Or listen to various comedians that I find to be hilarious, or watch something hilarious. Or write. Dunno. Either way, I'll be OK. Just gotta accept it for now, not dwell too much, and keep going strong. I've come a long way and I don't plan to back down.

A Long, Crazy, Wonderful Year

This won't be a super-long post, but I must say, 2007 has been an incredible year in all aspects.

In no particular grammatical or temporal order:

I attended 7 weddings, bought some great music, saw some great new bands, took ballroom dancing lessons, had a great b-day party, saw my great grandma return home from the nursing home, lost my job, got married, went on an awesome honeymoon, started a new job, lost and gained health insurance, bought glasses, lost consistent contact with some friends, gained contact with others, saw less concerts, blogged less, joined a gym, spent way too much in car repairs, had 2 great aunts pass away, biked less, wrote less, saw good movies, laughed a lot, got into the whole iTunes and iPod thing, retook the GRE, submitted my application for grad school and traveled a bit.

All in all, an incredible year. I look forward to 2008 and all the surprises life brings.

Cheers!

REVAMP

These words came to me last night:

I had forgotten what it's like
to stare at the night;
the quiet that surrounded me
in the middle of this fair city
was quite astounding,
to say the least.

On my back, one star caught my eye
as it was the only one in plain view;
the others were hidden due to many causes.

I just stared and went back to the past,
where I frequently wrote of the night,
and how recently these lines
were full of empty.

That just isn't right.
It's time to I come around again
to the place where my hand
picks up the pen
and scribbles without end,
any and all thoughts, right or wrong,
that this being has.

Make the time to express and decreased will be stress.

Music came into play as well,
another constant I have missed
and wish to revisit passionately,
for there are many stories to tell,
naturally.

The time between books was so short,
for introspection was spent at length;
so I hope to pick up the pace
and display these thoughts through pages again,
and marvel at the words sprawled across,
for I'm beginning to think deep again,
out of bed.

Copyright @ 2007
Supernovaflip