Friendship and nature.

I think that might be some of the most important and excellent elements of a hike. I know it can be done non-socially, but I have a lot of experience on my side on this one.

Now, I am so tired I am falling asleep while typing this entry... so it will be cut short tonight, unfortunately. Rough.

The old table tennis crew.

And I suppose 'old' is a fairly apt way to put it as most of them were literally senior citizens. That being the case it would be reasonable to think that they are more likely to leave this life relatively sooner than most other 'crews' of my friends... and today I learned of the first one's passing. And even though I have not seen Mike for several years I am greatly saddened by his departure. It was definitely earlier than any of us would have expected, being a man less than 70 years of age I am fairly certain. And quite the athletic man on top of that.

He was a tremendous man. Truly. He was a pillar of the table tennis club from its inception and I am sure his legacy will be felt for years to come, even if it is something more based in the memories of his powerful, positive character than any of the physical contributions he may have made. I can still hear his voice so clearly in my mind. "Got to be!" he would say in positive exclamation after a good point or rally. He always smiled, even when he was having a rough day at the table. He very frequently brought food and other goodies to give away to the club patronage. He knew people and gladly shared any fascinating stories about them without provocation, yet always appreciated. He was another one of the great ones in my life... I am truly grateful to have know Mr. Michael Lewis. Truly. He was a blessing sent from heaven to this earth and I was lucky enough to share a piece of my life with his.

May his family and friends be at peace. Rest in peace, Mike.

Staying in shape-ish.

I think staying in shape would imply that I actually had a good shape to begin with... but, alas, I think that is probably a bit presumptuous on my part. But I am staying closer to shape, I guess. My body certainly does not feel like it disagrees with my basketball activity quite as much as it usually does. I wonder how much my somewhat physical job has to do with it?

Extended time to myself.

Now that I have let go of my second job, and have freed up a considerable amount of time during the course of my regular day, I find myself with a crazy amount of expendable hours with which to find my own purposes in greater focus... or something like that. Ha. And though it may have scared me before I think it will be absolutely liberating and I expect to make exceptional progress like I have not made before because of it.

Because I have committed this idea in writing(even though it is only on a blog that very few people will ever read) I am putting a higher standard up for myself. It commits me to behave as I profess and in a way helps me become what I truly hope to become. Goal-oriented, dedicated, honest, and trustworthy in my actions because I can follow through with a plan that I am willing to put down on paper(or internet... paper... ness).

Day 2 of the new term.

It's a good looking term that just keeps looking better. I know the classes should be sufficiently challenging, my schedule of availability looks to be pretty much awesome, and my fellow students appear to all be on board as well.

Now, I need to figure out how to earn a little extra money. A simple part-time job might be good but those are not always easy to find. I need to be more motivated to find some freelance gigs, I think. Well, I need to finish(or greatly advance) the current projects I am working on. That would be a good way to start!

Return to school for the third to last time(possibly).

Assuming I only have three terms left, including this one. I might not be able to get every class I need over the next two so I suppose it's possible I might need to extend a term beyond the plan but I guess that's okay too.

Beginning each new class is always exciting for me. I think I remember a time when that was not always the case but that had to be like back in high school or something. Now, I just look forward to each new experience almost knowing I will have so many good ones to enjoy that any bad ones on the way usually seem pretty insignificant.

You never truly know a man... until you see him fight. - Part 1

This is a topic that has crossed my mind in various versions over the years. I finally feel inspired to give it a bit of the exploration time it deserves.

Some of this idea comes because I feel like I have a difficult attracting the girls I am attracted to and it seems to me that some of it is simply because they didn't give me enough of a chance to get to know me very well. I am sure I am not the only guy who feels this way so I thought I might describe a little about how a guy operates and how his character, and some of his personality, are found in the way he goes through his trials.

One easily visible example would be seen in the athletic man's experiences. It is the game he plays the hardest, with the greatest intensity, which usually reveals a very specific part of his character which you will not likely see in any other part of his life without very specific digging or circumstances. There is something about the competitive nature among a man's peers which reflects a certain element of character definition. His sportsmanship, his temperament, his focus, his dedication, his teamwork, his practice ethic, his loyalty, and in a team setting where he may have a coach(or with some sort of officiating present) you can see how obedient and respectful he is to authority.

I know I have overlooked even more elements to my sports analogy which are quite telling and insightful about the inner self of a man, but I am satisfied with my meager dabblings on this topic so far.  I have other ideas I would like to explore on the topic and will do so in the next part I write about at some point in the future.