Sweet peas

this post was written several weeks ago. forgot to publish it.

Sweet peas.

Yes, the first thing that I could possibly decide to say in the first post in 2 months is sweet peas.

Sweet peas rock.

They’re sweet…and healthy…and crunchy…and cold…

So why sweet peas? Because it’s what I’m chewing on right now (but for all you mere mortals reading this after 12:58am on August 24, 2010 it’s what I was chewing on). I’m lying in my bed at my grandma’s house in Eagle Grove, Iowa.

“Wait” says you.

“I know” says I “You’re wondering why the bloody I’m in Iowa.”

You says “yeah, you’re spot on”

And I says “well I’ll tell ya”

I’m working for my grandma doing small jobs that have been piling up the last few years. I’ve been here since the 3^rd of this month, and I’m here until the 27^th. It’s been good overall. It’s also been hard, boring, very fun, exciting, and damn painful sometimes.

Mostly I’ve been painting, but I’m also doing about 60 feet of sidewalk replacement. I LOVE concrete work. Seriously. It’s hard, physical, attention demanding, perfectionistic, and it lasts for 30 years. Talk about a legacy. Painting is ok…I like the transformation of a room, but for the most part people pick boring schemes. Not at all like the cool painting commercials on TV………………ba**rds.

I’m staying at my grandma’s place, but I’m working at my uncle and aunts house. They are renting my gma’s old house. It’s a gorgeous, old fashioned, HUGE house. My aunt and uncle are awesome, and their three kids are the bomb.

So that’s life. Not exciting I know. If you’re still reading at this point you’re either a stalker or Mrs. Slusher. In the rare event that you aren’t either of a stalker or Mrs. Slusher then you must be bored…………..

…………which means I can write about just about anything and you’ll probably still read it J muwahahahahahahahahaha.

Before I pick a random topic to monologue about in my pathetic attempt to end this post with some sense of purpose, I shall inform you about my last month in Kansas.

KANSAS SUCKS.

Okay, now for the monologue.

Just kidding. You don’t get away that easily. If I had to suffer in that God forsaken, plague ridden, heat blasted, dreary, humid, hell-hole some people are crazy enough to call home, then you have to at least read about it. It’s my form of revenge.  ha.

I worked for Dessert Paint Company painting houses. It was actually a really good job. I learned a lot, and my co-workers were really great guys. My boss was easy going, and easy to work for. I worked 40 hours a week for him, and filled in about another 15 to 20 on the side.

I lived in the basement of my parent’s home. It’s the first time I’ve stayed for more than 2 weeks in 2 years…it felt weird…

I know most people just laugh and roll their eyes at me when I say that I hate Kansas. But I’m serious. That place is a dump. I detest it. The more I go back the less I ever want to go back. For every tolerable memory there is 5 bad ones, and for the few good memories there are probably 100 awful ones.

People ask me where I’m from. Well it sure as hell isn’t Kansas. But I say Kansas anyways. Why? I don’t know…people want an easy answer and if I say anything else I have to explain. So I’m lazy…sue me. The fact is, Kansas isn’t home. Two summers ago, I shook the dust of that state off my tires and blasted my way into the vagabondish life style that I currently have.

“Vagabondish?” you think. You think I’m being over dramatic. Really? I’m in IOWA. IOWA. Yeah, the flattest state in the world. It has one (1) city with over a million inhabitants. Why would I come here? Two reasons. One, I wanted to spend time with my grandma and uncle’s family. Two, because I wanted to leave Kansas.

Not enough proof? Okay, chew on this. I never unpacked after last semester. So when I got back from Cleveland (I’ll get to that), I just packed up my car and decided not to come back before I left for school. I didn’t even stay for 24 hours after landing. I was on the road in sub 20. Boo yaa.

Still doubting? Ok, here’s the kill shot. I’m not returning to my parents’ until Christmas. And that’s only for a few days before I leave for my 4^th straight New Years in COLORADO. I FREAKING LOVE THAT STATE!

Then hopefully, off to England for the spring term. Then, I’ll intern in a big city, back to college, then graduate, travel Europe for a while, then travel the world, maybe find a job and home, and see where life goes from there.

People ALWAYS ask me two things. 1) How did I end up in PA 2) What am I going to do after I graduate. They are two stupid questions. The answers 1) I drove 2) don’t know. I don’t. I’m just not thinking that far out. It will figure itself out when it gets there.

Maybe I’ve just developed a hard case of college laziness, or I’ve become apathetic to life in general. Regardless, that’s my life philosophy. I’m not a very good climber, but I love the culture and attitude that so many climbers have. It’s a chill, take life as it comes at you kind of philosophy. I love that.

I’m stubborn. Big news to the world. Spend 5 minutes in a room with me and you’ll probably figure that out for yourself. I resent people who think that they know what’s better for me then me. I don’t have a bloody clue where life will take me. Instead of planning for something and trying to control it, I’m going to approach life like the Bible says so…one day at a time. Yeah, I’ll still have a savings account, I’ll still eat healthy so I don’t die from a heart attack, I’m not talking about living the life of the party, and booze it up now. No, I’m talking about letting the world flow around me, taking me, shaping me through the experiences I have. Life is experience. Faith cannot be idealist, but experiential. I want a living life, and a living faith. I want a life that when I’m old and dying I can say nothing went like I was expecting it.

But I’m getting carried away, let’s bring this back down.

I’m floating. I feel like I have no control in my life. It used to freak me out, now I’m getting used to it…I’m evening learning to like this. I’m trying to cope with a life that keeps freaking me out. My plans grow up like trees in a forest, and then burn in a thousand wildfires. My dreams fall to ash on the burnt ground that once used to be my future. In the midst of the charred ruin that has me depressed, a small charm appears. A flower in the ash, a bird on the wind. Something…something that makes me look up from the ruin, and see the distance. I realize that I’m not standing on my ruined future, but instead on a painting. I see in the distance rising mountains, green fields, rolling forests, rivers, lakes, clouds, rain, lighting, thunder…I see everything only clearly enough to identify it. I can’t see every detail because I’m not there. Instead of trying to figure out what the future will be, I enjoy the view, and start walking. I have this feeling, that when (if ever) I arrive at this future place, I’ll look back and see all the things I once saw in the future but in the past.

So there. That’s my monologue. I bet you thought that you would get lucky and that I would forget. HA! Nope. I remembered. I’m currently flirting with a 1,500 word post so I’m going to wrap this up.

Things I want you to take away from this:

1)      I’m bored with summer and I can’t wait for school to start

2)      I’m head over heels in love with Ali

3)      I love mountains

4)      I love climbing mountains

5)      I’m listening to the album Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons. Check them out. Epic writing music.

6)      I love sweet peas

I just passed 1500 words with “peas” above so, congratulations; you’ve managed to pay attention to a bored college student for a few minutes. That’s an impressive feat if you think about it. You probably would have zoned out if I was telling you this in person. However, it’s on a sweet blog, so now it’s cool, sophisticated, and intelligent.

Bullshit.

There. I just dealt with two of the three preconceptions of this blog (sophisticated and intelligent) in one word. That’s cool.

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