City life hard hardened me. This is no more evident than when I'm riding the metro home. You see, one of the stops on my daily commute is Arlington Cemetery, and there are always scores of touristy folks who make that their stop. Now I understand the tourist mentality, as I have been in those shoes many a time. But at the same time, I think I have bought into the going mentality that my trip home should be in silence.

A digression: Have I even earned a right to criticize tourists? I mean, I'm only an intern who has lived in the DC area for 2 months so I'm technically a newbie myself. Honestly, I think the power comes in the way I dress. I mean, I figure if I wear a shirt and tie, that makes me above a tourist. Does this make sense?

You can always pick out the tourists. They're the ones wear khaki shorts and tank tops and tennis shoes. They typically have their volume turned up a tad more than most. I find myself getting irritated that I can't just ride in silence. Instead a hear stories about a 50-some mother from South Carolina who still has 2 boys in high school and a 3rd at Clemson.

I'm sure once I get out of here I'll return to my jovial talkative self. I long for the days I can make eye contact and say hello to a stranger on the street. Though I will say that I'm sure DC is better than NYC in terms of friendliness.

So, if I'm a jerk when I come back, forgive me. It will only be a short time.

I'm going to keep this simple-

If you've known me for any extended period of time, you know I might not be the most fashion conscious guy around. Jeans and a t-shirt (preferably the Nelson Co. Soccer one) are my forte. Needless to say, that doesn't fly in Condi-land, so I have to deck out every day. This just isn't my style. I have yet to get comfortable in a dress shirt and tie. Heaven forbid I have to wear a full blown suit.

So here's my question. Who came up with the idea of a tie? Who was sitting around one day and said to himself "Let's wrap a piece of cloth around my neck and create a fashion staple?" Better still, when it came to naming his creation, with all the possible combinations of the English language, just called it "tie." Probably same guy who called a watch a "watch." I move that we start calling fans "blows."

This brings me to an even deeper question- Who decided that in order to show our appreciation for something we beat our hands together? Strange.

These are the things I think about during the day.

So I've never had a gym membership before. I mean, I go to Calvary or Immanuel and work out occasionally but I've never stooped to buying a Gold's membership. But this summer, with visions of me getting plump from sitting in a cubicle all day, I got a membership to Gold's. It works out well as its just across the street from my building and I have made it a habit of going everyday. Since the start of the summer, I can count on one hand how many weekdays I've missed working out.

I hadn't bargained on getting free entertainment along with my membership, but that's what has happened.

First off, I just have to laugh at how seriously some of those guys take themselves. It's like they're half there to work out and the other half to show off their muscles. There's one guy who looks like he works his upper body out but neglects the lower half. It's weird. He looks like a funnel. Seriously.

Other guys you have to laugh at because they're trying so hard to fit in but fail miserably. I like the guy who comes in with sweet tennis shoes, mid-calf white socks, pale as a ghost, an Ace bandage wrapped around his elbow, classic gray tank-top with "M&M's Basketball" on the front, Will Smith ears, spiky hair and a gray headband. Can you picture him? I sure hope you can.

I saw another guy today who was lifting the whole stack of weights. This got me to thinking...what happens after that? Have you reached the pinnacle of physical fitness? It seems to me there is no place to go but down. Do you just let yourself go to hell in a handbasket just so you can build yourself up again? Is it a game to them? These are the questions that keep me up at night.

And let me ask you this- why is ESPN showing dominoes? I mean seriously, there is nothing worse to watch while doing some cardio than two black guys playing dominoes. DOMINOES! Do they think its going to be the next Texas Hold-Em?

But of all the things that bother me about the gym its the men locker room that takes the cake. First, it smells. Secondly, too much nakedness. I realize the necessity of taking off your clothes to shower and while changing clothes, but these old dudes take it to another level. Here they are, standing at the sink hanging freely while I'm trying to wash my hands. Seriously! Put it away! Am I the only one who finds it weird guys just walk around in their bithday suits? Yesterday there were two guys standing and talking to each other without clothes. Yeeeesch. I think I'm the only one with the decency to cover myself. It just freaks me out.

So those are pretty much my observations. I enjoy working out and I'm enjoying the results. Maybe one day I'll make it to the top and be lifting the whole stack...only to let myself go just so I can do it all again.

I fully realize I have neglected my blog for the longest time, but I think now, more than ever, I need it as an outlet. There is just too much stuff that goes on up here (Washington, DC) that's blog worthy. I have some good laughs every day but no one to share them with. So that's what I aspire for my blog for the rest of the summer, to share with you those anecdotes that make the daily grind of city life tolerable.

So where to begin? I've been here over a month and plenty of stuff has happened so I'm playing catch up, I suppose. So let's just start at the top. The pinnacle, if you will.

I made plans to meet my cousin for dinner downtown DC. I always underestimate the time it takes to get downtown from Arlington and was already running behind schedule so I was walking like a madman out of the metro and headed toward the restaurant. A couple blocks down, the street was roped off, police crawling and people with the cameras out. This, of course, piqued my curiousity and bothered me to a degree because I couldn't get across the street. I asked what the deal was and a short blonde girl exclaimed "The President is coming!!" in a voice worthy of a 14 year old BSB fan.

Now, you would think when I heard this news I would be excited, but strangely I wasn't. I was more concerned about getting dinner. At this point it began to rain and I didn't have an umbrella so I was slightly irritable. About that time I heard the roar of motorcycles and my eyes shot to the street. Sure enough, a caravan of black Yukons came rolling up on the scene adorned with the presidential flag.

I heard the crowd cheer before I saw him. But soon enough, there he was with his face pressed up against the glass waving to the crowd. I forgot everything that had preoccupied me. My jaw dropped. Then, as if there were someone pulling my strings my hand shot up and waved back. I can't really explain it, I didn't intend to wave and did it subconciously. I guess that's just the glory of Bush.

It's strange, though. I voted for Bush, but in recent months I have given up trying to defend him. That puts him up there with Tubby. But regardless if you believe in his policies or his handling of the world, there's still a tinge of reverence when it comes to seeing him. You kind of put your differences aside and just appreciate him for who he is- the most powerful man in the world. Like it or not.

I experience an awkward moment about every day. I don't exactly invite myself into these moments, they just kinda happen. There is one moment that happens to me at least every other day when I'm walking across campus, and I know its happened to you, too. You know that moment, when you see someone you know from a distance, and you're both walking towards each other. You both know the other is coming, but you choose not to prolong the eye contact because really, what are you going to do with it? The only reasonable thing I can think of would be to make silly faces at one another, but let's be real, that doesn't happen. You can't just stare each other down until you get within speaking distance, so you pretend you didn't see each other until you get much closer, then you both have the surprised "Oh, fancy seeing you here!" looks on your faces and exchange pleasantries. You know its happened to you. You know it was awkward. Admit it.

I suppose that I should thank Ashlee for tagging me with this. It has given me reason to update my blog again. Not that I haven't had blog-worthy events happen to me as of late (I've had lots of them, actually), but I have struggled to sit down and type them out. So maybe this will get me to update a little more frequently.
4 Jobs I Have Had in My Life
-Working at the New Balance store is my first job. Is that bad?

4 Goals I Set for This Year
-Graduate college
-Complete my internship successfully
-Study for and take the GRE
-Apply to grad schools

4 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over
-Saving Private Ryan
-Three Kings
-Zoolander
-Shawshank Redemption (I pretty much do watch it over and over...its on TV like everynight)

4 Places I Have Lived
-Morehead, KY
-Rowan County High School gymnasium
-Lexington, KY
-Amman, Jordan (for a summer)

4 TV Shows I Love to Watch
-The Bachelor
-Jeopardy
-Home Improvement
-Antiques Roadshow

4 Places I've Been on Vacation
-Athens, Greece
-Reykjavik, Iceland
-Las Vegas
-Bangor, Maine

4 Websites I Visit Daily
-Yahoo Sports
-CNN.com
-Facebook
-espn.com

4 of My Favorite Foods
-Chicken curry
-Steak
-bacon and mayo sandwiches
-chicken wings

4 Places I Would Rather Be Right Now
-Mishawaka
-Amman
-Rupp Arena
-shooting ball

Dateline - February 3, 2006, (Greensboro, NC) - For immediate release:
Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford announced today that a foul is tentatively scheduled to be called against Duke sometime in the first half of their game with UNC in Chapel Hill, next Tuesday, February 7th.

In a joint press conference with Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, and ACC Director of Officials John Clougherty, Swofford said an agreement had been reached for a touch foul to be whistled on as-yet-to-be-determined Blue Devil player around the 7:00 minute mark during the first half of the game at the Smith Center.

"We are very excited to arrange something that hasn't been seen in our conference since 1998," said Swofford. "I want to personally commend Mike {Krzyzewski} for agreeing to this uncoventional deal. We all know how reluctant he has been to allow any calls to go against his team."

Krzyzewski insisted that this move was purely a gesture of generosity aimed at rehabilitating his public image in light of recent lip-synching fiascos during several nationally televised games. "The camera did not catch me really uttering the BS-word during my argument with the official the other night. Those really were my lips moving but I wasn't really yelling the word. I'm sure our fans will understand."

"Mike is being a really good sport about this," noted UNC coach Roy Williams. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to play them with a foul being called against their squad, and to have it happen here in front of the home crowd will be especially enjoyable for our fans."

Clougherty says that unless unforeseen intimidation happens during the game, that the scheduled foul should occur without a hitch. "It all depends on whether Coach K holds up his end of the bargain and promises not to harrass our crew that evening."

Clougherty also said not to expect any more fouls to be called against Duke this season, but did not rule out the possibility of another one being called in an exhibition game in November 2006. "The Duke AD told me that they are trying to schedule Marathon Oil for a pre-season game next year and we are in discussions about perhaps calling another foul against Duke in that match-up if everyone can come to terms."

The officiating crew for the Duke vs. UNC game will not be announced publicly prior to the game in order to protect their privacy. Swofford said he anticipated a media barrage and did not want the referees to be distracted from their big task at hand. "This is a big deal and a momentous occasion for the league. We need our employees to remain focused so that they can complete their jobs in what could end up being a very difficult situation."

After consulting with some trusted friends, I've come to the conclusion that I have no other alternative. Anything less would be considered a disappointment in my book.

A few scatterbrained thoughts while enduring "Let's learn to make a bar graph day" in Statistics-

-I'm a left handed guy living in a right handed world. They just don't make left handed desks, do they? I literally struggle to situate myself and and find a comfortable position in which to write. Needless to say, its an ordeal to take notes in class.

-Y'all remember when it was hip to write all over your trapper keeper in whiteout? Or maybe it was just a Eastern Ky thing. I never personally did, but I enjoyed watching lovestruck girls doodle the names of their boyfriends all over their trappers only to break up with him (as middle school romances go) a couple days later. She would then proceed to, um, uh...white it out and write the name of her lover du jour. Yeah, this girl beside me hadn't gotten over that phase of her life. And while it was just the name of her class, section number, time it met and her own name, the fact remains that it was still in whiteout.

-Now, I'm no Gianni Versace or Ralph Lauren or even a Sean John, but I think there are certain truths to fashion that all must adhere to. One of these truths is that belts are a necessity with jeans or khakis. It doesn't matter if you don't need a belt, it must be there to complete the ensemble. My teacher didn't have a belt on, and while his pants weren't sagging or anything, I just felt like he might as well been walking around in his boxers. Am I right?

Between all these thoughts I was paying attention, I really was. So much in fact that I understood the principles (heck, we were making bar graphs) and began wondering to myself why purpose this actually serves in my life. So I raised my hand. "What's the point," I asked.

Antonio Davis could be my new favorite NBA player. What a respectable guy.