it's almost spring break. nuff said.

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but on to what my mom had to say.

she told me that she was listening to dave ramsey, whom i've listened to most all my life and i revere as a very knowledable person, whom was saying to a caller the other day that in this day and age, when job hunting, you have to have something specific to bring to the table. and my mom was asking me what i had to bring to the table when i graduate. well, i told her that was a good quesion. cause ever since i've decided to do public administration, i dont really know what i have to bring to the table. i could probably sell myself pretty well at a job interview, but that takes alot of confidence, and not that i dont have alot of confidence, but what do i have.

i still really wanna go to law school, so i should be studying for the Lsat, but i havent started yet. i should be studying more for what i am studying  now.

i'm watching the king and i right now. it's a good movie. a remake of an old movie from the sixties that i saw when i was in the 6th grade at central. there was a line in there that caught my attention:

"I wish to learn english to please his majesty."

teacher: "That is good but i hope more importantly you want to learn english to please yourself."

it made me think, ya, i need to learn something that is useful in life, something i can get a job with. but more importantly, why dont i learn something that i enjoy. that i like going to class for. that i like reading about. studying. discussing. maybe some of the classes that i'm in right now arent all that great. but it's still interesting to know how things work in government.

if you want to understand why things happen today you must first understand how they came to be over the years, and then understand how they work on a daily basis. so, history isnt that bad. i.e. if you want to know why south american countries are still considered developing countries, you must understand it's war torn past and military/political past.

anyways.

i'm tired of obama and his feel good message. his empty words. he has that sing song type speech kinda. they way he drags out certain letters to make it sound empowering and tug at your heart strings. he's telling the people of this country what they want to hear. that we need a change cause people believe that things are bad and it's because of the president. people should understand that the president actually holds a weak spot in governtment. maybe the reason things arent so great is the change in power in the House a couple of years back...

hillary isnt much better, but i dont think her words are empty such as obama. and, he accuses her of stealing his words of "yes we can", but in reality, thats the words of the farmers worker union. so really, he stole chaves words. Hugo that is. the "dictator" of venezuala. i call him a dictator. more than likely it's just a strong presidency. larger government=socialism/communism. universal health care=larger government.  it takes a while for things like that to evolve, but it could happen. you gotta watch out.

this post is getting way to long.

God will always provide. so i'm not too worried about what will come in my future. as long as i try my best and follow His ways, i believe it'll work out.

in other news, i'm going to start training for a marathon. might be fun. i'll get in good shape anyways. but i'm ready for it to warm up. spring break will be fun. but i need to some serious studying for my midterms. but i'm doing ok thus far. i like my stats teacher.

sorry this was so long. hope everyone is doing well.

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now i have really bad heart burn. hopefully that's all it is.

i'll update more later.

school is crazy right now.

hope all is well.

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now for the hitch hiking. so ryan and i went hiking sunday through tuesday. it was alot of fun. half the trail was covered with ice, but that just made it more interesting. but the last day we were a 5 1/2 mile hike from the car if we took the trails, but we were a 2 mile hike from the road, but if we walked along the road it was another 8 miles to the car, which toatled 10 miles, double the other option. but we knew it was supposed to rain, and thought it would be fun to hitch hike, which isnt uncommon along the appalachian trail. ryan did it over the summer while he and some friends were up that way.

so we make it to the road and start walking, and walking, and walking. and every car that passed going the way we were headed we would stick out thumb out, but they just passed us up. it's not that heavily of a traveled road, at least not this time of year. during the summer it's heavy with traffic with people going in between gatlinburg and cherokee(the indian reservation where everyone goes to gamble). we went for four hours and no one stopped to give us a ride. i wasnt too surprised cause i mean, when was the last time you stopped to pick up a hitch hiker?

so we decided to cut up the side of a hill cause it would cutt off two miles of our walk. it was a 500 foot vertical climb that we had to do on out hands and knees. the brush was so thick we could barely move. it was fun. we found an old muscle car that had run off the road. kinda cool. we made it to the top. walked about 500 more yards and decided to sit down and eat lunch. we had just about had it. about to decide that hitch hiking wasnt going to work. we had already walked almost 7 miles that day, which, if you remember, is more than what we would of had to hike if we took the trail.

we had been counting cars and i told ryan that by the 100th car, we would be picked up. we were sitting there eating on the side of the road enjoying the view and every time a car would pass we would stick out our thumbs. i stuck my thumb out when people were passing the wrong decision, but i thought they would feel nice and take us back, cause it was only a few miles back up the road. like, 3 or 4.

and what do you know, this guy in a covertible stops and offers us a ride, but he wouldnt take us back up the road, even though we offered him gas money. i lost it. i went hysterical. it was so funny. ryan was mad cause we were up to about a 100 cars. he was going on about how we were going to have to wait for another 100 cars. but then, about 15 cars pass and on car passes and then... they stop about 40 yards up the road. we ran to the car and they helped us put our bags in the car and gave us a ride.

they were an older couple and there friend was in the back. there friend had to be about 95 and he was from alaska. it was pretty cool. they were nice.

well thats my story.

my classes should be ok. i'm excited about my poli sci classes. should be cool. i need to buckle down and study this semester. i had a great semester grade wise last time around. i just need to be dilligent. there's another work i wanna use, but i cant think of it.

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i'll also write my goals for the semester/year like i did last year. i like doing that.

school starts tomorrow. eh. i dont know how i feel. should be good though.

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oh ya, and i ended up with a 3.75 GPA this semester. Rock on

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i hate it when i cant find a parking spot anywhere near my apartment building. it seems if i pay rent there i should be entitled to a spot outside my building. or at least remotely near it.

oh well. i'm probably just mad cause i'm so tired.

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I've always enjoyed inspirational things, and then again, who doesnt. sometimes when i wonder why i row, i go and watch the video of the mens team that won the olympics for the first time in like 40 years. here's a link to that video too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcthtn3BBN0&feature=related

(it looks easier than it is)

people admire the underdog, and why is that. because that is what america was built on, people starting with nothing and finishing ahead. we admire them because we want to do the same thing. we wanna be great. I admire people like Jimmy V. because he was dying yet still made the most out of life. Ya, he's not the only one to do that. there are alot of people that have cancer yet they live thier life like it's just another day. But i believe everyday you should challenge yourself to make the most of what you have, dont worry about what you dont have, and ask yourself what you can do for someone around you.

Even if all you do is smile and say hi to the person sitting next to you in class, cause you dont know what they are going through, that could make a world of difference to them. the world isn't perfect, but maybe the little things we do can make a huge difference. i wanna make a difference in the world. i've told some people that before. thats why i wanted to be a teacher. but i was going to have to stay in school for an extra two years.

Pat Tillman once said: "Coach, you can do with me what you like, but after four years i'm gone, i've got things to do with my life."

If you dont know how Pat Tillman is, he's the guy the football player that gave up his 3.5 million dollar contract to go to Iraq. He was a pretty cool dude if you wanna read about him. I may not be a great athlete, a soldier, or a great scholar, (and there is definately more to life than school, and not everyone needs it so i dont hold it against them), but i know i can make a difference, even if it's a small one, and so can you.

so remember four things as you go throughout these next few weeks: 1)make a grand entrance Focus on 2)Family 3)Religion (or whatever is important to you) 4)and the Greenbay Packers

Your "Greenbay Packers" can be whatever you want it to be, but try and make it successful.

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as i was sitting in church this morning i was thinking, that i dont really wanna leave. i was really bored last night and wanted to head back to knoxville. but, while i was sitting there, i was like, i miss all these people back here in murfreesboro. all my friends. i mean. ya, it would be alot different if i moved back. and it wouldnt be like i imagine it to be. or how it was during high school where i was really clost to all my friends. but, at the same time.... i dont even know what i wish it was like. i could transfer back. it would be no problem.

i dont knwo what to do. i dont think i should. but then again. maybe i should. who knows. blah. i hate growing up. but i'm about to hit the road to knoxville. i'll be home in 2 1/2 weeks. so, i'm just ready for this next week to be over. finals wont be too bad. just the week heading up to it.

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but when i go, it just seems so right. like thats what i need in my life. i've met a few new people at church, but i just miss the one back home so much. what i really need is people to keep me accountable here in knoxville. more christian friends really. not that i'm a bad person or anything. but, you know. it's just easier sometimes.  i mean, i know what i believe, it's just sticking to it most times.

i also wanna move, i think. i mean, i hardly talk to my roommates anymore. or rather, they hardly talk to me anymore. it's just awkward. mainly one of them i dont talk to. but he's just a jerk to me, i'm not going to lie. i'll talk to him and he wont even respond. i dont know what the deal is. i always try to be nice to everyone.

but i do have to say, there are some people that i havent treated too great in the past, and i wish i could go back and change all that, but whats in the past is in the past, and i hope they can forgive. i'm sure they can.

well i better get off here, as i have a test tomorow and i'm supposed to meet my workout partner in the morning. since i'm COMING HOME TOMOROW.

i'm excited.

Hope you had a great day amy! since i know your the only one that reads this. lol. but emily might too. haha. oh well. maybe i'll see ya while i'm at home amy

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my favorite part about it are the discussion classes every friday. i love it cause i always argue the opposite of everybody else and it really makes some people mad. one of the guys i met in there will argue against me just for laughs. i happened to see him like the second week of school at the mall and we talked for a while. he's a pretty cool guy. he's a cheer leader, i laughed, but it's respectable.

anyways. when i found out i made a 100 on the midterm, which consisted of 3 essays, i figured i had it down-pat. but the best part is the teacher. Dr. Arnold. My roommate and i call him Arny. haha. but the cool part is, he wont tell you his position on things that we talk about, but most of the time we know where he stands. in the book he assigned us there are many articles with many different authors. he's the author of a few of them.

the cool part though is he'll assign articles that not only dissagree with his view, they the author will mention his name in the article and say how he "is ignorant". I dont believe this. i just believe it is a difference of oppinion and the other author needs to realize that everyone will not have the same ethical standpoint. which i'm sure he realizes this, but why come out and call another respected eithical philosopher person ignorant. haha.

anyways. i just drank some esspresso. thats why i'm up so late. haha

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which by the way, we're racing this weekend. should be fun. but it'll be an adventure.

hope all is well. i gotta get started on some other stuff. someone is calling my phone. odd for this time of day.

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so i may have to take a semester of off school. imagine missing all of janurary (i think i'm spelling that wrong. lol) and then having to go back to class. it would be impossible. they said i could request just a certain time period. but i dont want all of my christmas break to be tied up with jury duty. blah. but i guess if that keeps me from going to jail for skipping jury duty.

i cant decide if i wanna miss a semester or not. i really wanna travle, but that would take alot of money. i've always thought. it would be cool to go live with my bro and work down in florida somewhere. it would be a blast. but, he and his wife may not want me down there. lol. well, for like 3 months anyways.

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and i like to people watch. which is really bad when there is literally like 500 people here in the compute lab.

a couple of the guys from the team called me today and we went to the pizza buffett down on the strip. that was a bad idea. i literally ate like 2000 calories at lunch. i was sick. i havent eaten that bad at once in a long time. oh well. it was some good stuff. and it was only 5 bucks.

i'm sad, i just now looked to see if my headphones were in my bag, which they normally are, but they arent. it's probably a good thing. i get some work done now.

i've really got to get this paper written. i hate not being productive. but i got my literature test back today and i made a 95. i was pretty excited cause when i took it i felt like i hadnt made and A, which was my goal.

Amy, i'm pretty sure your the only one that reads this anymore. haha, hope you had a good day!

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i'm going to write a paper tomorow. i'll spend the day in the library. i'm just more productive there. i cant help it. i saw my advisor today. i didnt have to, but i wanna make sure i'm doing things right. oh man, i just remembered i have an appointment tomorow to see my business department advisor. hmm, wonder what time that is. i think i have an email, but i dont know.

i got to watch a movie tonight so that i can compare the book of huck finn to the movie. the movie was nothing like it. so i have alot to write about. so no problem. i have alot to do this week though. i need to be productive. i may not have time to go to the corn maze wensday night. oh well.  school comes first.

i wanna write more, but i got other stuff to do right now, so, another time.

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i've been having problems with my roommates. we havent been getting along. in reality, they just dont like how laid back i am. but all thats for another post. we've been getting along lately.

well one of my roommates told us this morning that his mother is dying of brain cancer. she might die within 2 weeks, or if the radiation works she could live for another 6 months. ya, we havent been getting along, but, we're still good friends. we're all on the rowing team. we're pretty much a big family. you should of seen the look on the guys' faces this morning at practice when he told us about it. it came as a shock.

please keep his family in your prayers. i know that his family isn't really religious. i know my roommate isnt anyways. i dont know how i'd make it through a time like this if i couldnt turn to God.

other than that, things are going good. School and all. please keep me in your prayers as well. not having alot of christian friends around me is hard for me at times.

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hope everyone is doing great out there.

i was just thinking.  I havent heard from Nathan in a while. Or his fabulous wife Rachel. where are ya'll two?

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well i came in to the library just now and i sat down at the computer and the guy next to me was like hey patrick. but i had no idea who he was. i just got done spilling my brains on an all essay ethics midterm. but even then. i didnt even recoginze this guy. usually when this happens i just play it off, but i wasnt on my game today. lol. kinda sucks. i didnt want to make him feel like a... crazy guy. i dont know. i just hate it when it happens.

well, one midterm down, two left. poli sci today and physics tomorow. physics, i dont even know. lol.

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they dont know good common sense when it hits them in the face. i guess that sounds bad. but it's getting on my nerves. lol

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i miss the ones back home too.

oh well.

school today shouldnt be too bad. but i got alot of homework to do. after what happened last night, i didnt get much done. blah.

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now i gotta hit the books. gotta work hard you know. i just... dont like western civ. blah

i wanna go home sometime too. get away for a while.

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but before i went to the mall i went to work out. and i was going to parrellel park outside the rec center. i have to parrellel park, or sometimes i choose to in order to get to class faster, and easy 3 or more times a week. i'm quite good at it. but i shouldnt brag. cause today i hit a car while doing it. :( i was so mad. well, i thought about driving off. i've seen people do it a hundred times, they hit a parked car on campus and then just drive off. i looked at my car, there wasnt anything wrong. i looked at the other car, and it had a scrape on the rubber of the bumper. but, this car was already pretty beat up. it was pretty bad off. so i thought about it for a while. but i just couldnt do it. so i called my dad and then i left a note on the car saying i hit their car and left my number. they havent called yet. so they must not care. but i felt alot better knowing that i did the right thing.

before that was class. class was class. blah

so now i know i have a soul. lol

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According to the National Education Association, of the 2.8 million teachers in the United States, only 24.9 percent are men, and only 9 percent are elementary teachers. And these numbers are declining every year.

Matt certainly is bucking the trend. A former Marine, Matt has been teaching first grade for the past five years. "I went into the education field because I witnessed my own children learn to read and I wanted to teach reading. Elementary education is both challenging and rewarding," he says. "This profession will wear you out, but there is no doubt that you can and will develop a sense of pride knowing that you have made a difference in the lives of your students."

 thats why i wanna do it. so i can have pride in what i do

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i had a good holiday weekend. i hope ya'll did as well. but i didnt get my work done. blah. i'm in the procecss of writing my paper right now that is due in like, oh, and hour or so. well, like 2 and half hours, but i have another class in an hour, so i gotta finish it before that. i could just take the computer with me, but i'd still have to print it out. i'll get it done.

man, i just feel so, distraught all of a sudden. blah

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i hope everyone else is doing great. i wish i could come home for a while. i'll be home in a few weeks i guess.

i'm at the library waiting on my next class to start. i'm listening to pandora. i love that web site.

well, wish me luck on the new school year. this school stuff is killing me. i wish i hadnt taken so long to decided what i wanna major in. oh well. i can get that stuff done. lol.

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this weekend was awesome. my brother got married. it was great. i'll put pictures up when i get some. haha. but they'll be on facebook as well.

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i was thinking on the way to the library, as i still dont have my comp back yet, why i like the harry potter books. i think i know why. and part of it just dawned on me right now. but i'll elaborate on that later. i'm on a time crunch. i gotta go to stats class here soon.

lately i seem to know that i am called for something more. something worthwild. i'll find it. and when i say something more. i mean more than just a stupid desk job. buy ya'll know what i mean

hope ya'll had a great day!

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i dont know if i've written this on here or not. i think i have. but i wanna write it again.

i've come to the conclusion that i wanna do something worth-while with my life. not just sit at a computer all day and crunch numbers. so i think i really wanna become a teacher. speaking of which. i should head over to the advisor today. but i have alot of homeowork... i know, i'm making excuses. but i wanna make a diference in the world.

i hate how people down America and the government. i cant even begin to fathom living in a different country. for instance. everyone loves ireland, but in half of the country you cant even walk out in the streets without being afraid of getting killed for your religous beliefs. or like how in israel, everywhere you go it is just like walking into an american airport. you get searched because terrorism is so bad over there. and a universal healthcare system is the last thing we need.

i've known about the ireland thing for a long time, but it didnt really hit me until i watched the ESPY awards the other night.

two men from ireland, one catholic, one protestant. two people that would normaly fight each other just for looking the other in the eye. these two men won the humanitarian award for bringing school aged children of different religions together to play basketball. through sports they have been able to show the country that it doenst matter what religion you are, you can get along with each other no matter what.

this really got me thinking. i dont care about winning an award. just like with rowing. ya, we can be successful at times. but 9 times out of ten, we get stomped. but i still go to the gym every day and work out. i still go to practice everyday and give it my all. it's not about the glory, it's about the personal satisfaction of knowing you did all you could to help. (that last bit might of come out wrong). but do you see what i'm saying. who cares if i get remembered at UT for centuries to come.

one of the posters in my room is of muhamed ali, one of the greatest athletes of all time. the quote says "the fight is won long before i dance under those lights. it's won out on the street, and in the gym."

that probably had nothign to do with it. but i like it. i dont the quote is word for word.

but i've been trying to think of ways that i can be productive with my life and help other people. other than being a teacher.

sorry. i try not to be political. but coming from a military family, and when i have many friends taht i've grown up with in the military right now. i hate to hear people, not people on here mind you, down america. we have it pretty good compared to just about anywhere else. just look at the facts.

ok, well i'm headed to carreer services now.

oh ya, i'm in the library since my computer is at the doctor right now. they guy next to me is wearing a dress...... um....... kind weird.

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it brought a great relief. i'm auditing the class, so thats good. when i do take the class i'll know how to do it already and make an A. hopefully. lol.

i still dont know what i wanna do with my life. i just now remembered, i need to go by carreer services. hopefully they can give me some insight. along with my advisor. i got alot to do. i have tons of homework.

i'm at the library and i'm listening to pandora radio, which is something nathan told us about a long time ago. one of my friends this past year was like, hey, have you heard of pandora, it's so cool. i was like, "it's so old. i've been using it for ever." it was funny.

i wanna go hiking sometime soon. i'm headed home this weekend. so maybe next weekend i can go. i wanna do some major hiking. it'd be fun. it'll help me relax and forget about summer school.

well i got alot to do. alot of homework. blah.

i think i would really like to go into business for my self. but thats a big risk. and i'm all for it. but it's kinda crazy. who knows.

but i have 4 hours to decide if i'm going to drop my stats class or not.

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to be the oldest living person.

right now the oldest person is 111. so, i have a long time to break this record. but it is something i have to work towards every day. keep my self healthy and what not. i need to keep the stress levels down you know. haha.

other than that, summer school stinks! but i'm making it

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does anyone else ever feel like they wont be successful. it makes me so mad. i just feel like i'm not going to make it when i get out of college. alot of times i feel like i wont make it out of college. alot of people i know will go out and party every night, but i dont. and then they make better grades then i do. i dont get it.

oh well

i'm coming home today!

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the best band i saw was The Black Keys. The were great. I'm definately going to go get a CD or two. haha.

me and mike, i just bought my hat cause i was getting so sunburned.

i know, your probably like, patrick, put your shirt back on, but it made it like 10 degrees cooler without it

 while we were waiting on the Kings of Leon. they were good

mike and krysten. we jsut woke up. we had alot of fun.

ok, well i gotta go finish some stats homework. blah.

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i was watching the news today and saw where presiden Bush went to Albania and he was greated like a... a national hero. it was pretty amazing to see our president, who seems to be hated by alot of people in out own country, to go to a predominately musilum country and be treated this way. i'm not saying we should be throwing parades for him, but we should show a little more respect. when people talk bad about our president i always say "i'd like to see you do better, or get the support of the nation twice in a row to even have the chance". to talk bad about our government is undermining the security we have in our freedom. lets respect it and be willing to do what has to be done to keep everyone safe.

anyways, enough about politics, i dont like talking about it.

i had alot of fun this weekend. it was great. whitney and i had a blast.

there wasnt any snow, but there was some country music, dancing and, well, some good fun. thats right, we went to tootsis orchid lounge. it was great.

summer school is, well.... about as fun as going to school during the summer time. haha.

so on that note, i g2g do some homework. blah.

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but i made it back to knoxville. i didnt really wanna leave. i mean, when i first got home i wanted to come back like right away. but when it came closer to time for me to come back,i didnt want to. crazy how life works huh?

i have a job interview here soon. i'm nervous. haha. we'll see how it goes.

hope everyone is having a great day!

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you know, i was thinking today. it's wierd coming home. used to i liked being in the boro more than knoxville. now, i dont like coming back. i was thinking today why that is. and it's cause i have too many good memories here. like i remember the good times how i can never have that back. all my friends that have changed for the worse and i wont see anymore cause their not their regular self anymore. i just hate coming home and things not being the same. i really just kinda feel like an out sider. it kinda made me realize why my parents dont go to their high school reunions anymore. things change. people change. and who wants to look back on the past and realize that things have changed so much for the worse. but i dont talk to my parents about why they dont go. i'm just speculating.

well, i'm in town for a few weeks. i wanna hang out and have fun. maybe i can find something to do.

hope everything is going good with yall

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i have somewhat of an important final tomorow and i was hoping to study alot this weekend, but i was pretty much out of comission yesterday. hopefully i can make it through today. :(  but i just did the math. as long as i make above a 70 or higher on the test i'll have a B in the class. but i'm hoping for a B+.

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you may be wondering to yourself, "how and why is patrick considering finals a sport". well, anytime a person puts in alot of work and long hours into something and makes it competitive at the same time, then yes, it could be a sport. i say this cause i just got back from the library at 230 in the AM, and yet, my night is not over. i still have at least 2 or more hours of studying.

so, i'm going to get going.

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the great thing about rowing is you kinda get to know other teams pretty well even if you dont know the actual individuals, you still kinda know them, make sense?

anyways, there's a tradition in rowing that the winners of the race gets the team shirts from the everyone else in the race. well, our team doesnt really participate in that cause we would spend a fortune in t-shirts. haha. but another thing people do is trade shirts with people. so my friend matt and i were walking around going to different teams trading shirts. well, i saw a group of people walking towards the virginia tech trailer and they had blue shirts on with orange V's. well, if you take notice, tech's colors are maroon and orange, and UVAs' colors are blue and orange. so ol'smart patrick was like "hey virginia tech, wanna trade shirts" and the guys were like, "we would except we're not virginia tech, we're university of virginia...hahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahaah"

ya, i felt stupid. and my friends laughed a lot too cause matt was in the process of telling me that they werent tech. and we wanted virginias shirts too cause they were cool. oh well. needless to say we didnt get either of their shirts. but their still cool guys. the coolest teams we met, were wakeforest, michigan, and south carolina. south carolina is definately the coolest of them though.

anyways, the races went well. we beat the teams we set out to beat, but didnt win any medals.

school is going good. i found out that i could possibly make all A's except for math, which i'll probably have to retake. but thats ok. i'll just understand it really well.

and how are ya'll?

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Oh God and His renewing the earth. it's great.

today was good. got a good workout in. i dont post on here much anymore. but not many people use it much. kinda sad. oh well. it happens. i still check it alot.we have another race this weekend. maybe i can follow up my previous post with another post about a gold medal. but the boys from the south, georgia tech, have some tricks up their sleeves. and the good ol' boys from texas are pretty trickey them selves. the saying is everything is bigger in texas. well. i wouldnt say they are any bigger than us, but their collection of championships are. but thats ok. we beat them at the Head of the Hooch last semester. so we'll see whats up.

by the way. the Lady Vols just won the national champion ship. some pretty cool stuff.

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