Quick Thoughts

Gone Beaching

Today I went to a beach on Lake Michigan with some of my housemates and friends. The water was incredibly chilly, and it rained at the end, but it was fun nonetheless. I actually enjoyed it more than my trip to the beach with my family earlier this month. My guess as to why is that I am just ready to be on my own. It was simply fun being with people who wanted to be around. I am very excited for what could happen this year.

– Gavin

Updates

I’m Back (In More Ways Than One)

Hello all in the blogosphere.

I have not posted since Saturday. I have been incredibly busy for the last few days, as both my sister and myself moved back to school yesterday. There was a lot of packing to do, and everyone was worn out on both Sunday and Monday. I was busy unpacking and catching up with friends yesterday, so I did not post then either.

I am no longer living in the dorms this year. Instead, I am residing in a house called Ross Apartments near the campus. It is obviously a standalone house, so I have no idea why it is called apartments. I am living with seven juniors, leaving me as the lone senior in the house.

Classes do not start until next week, but I am glad to be back for my final year of school. Due to the way things are looking now for this year, I do not think I will be posting every day. I still plan to post at least 4-5 times per week. Here comes another great year.

– Gavin

Updates

Invasions and Steep Hilsides

I went to a reenactment of D-Day at Conneaut beach in northeastern Ohio today with some of my family. It was incredibly large, with over 1000 re-enactors, five airplanes, multiple large guns, and a crowd of over 20,000 spectators. I was impressed by the effort put into the production.

Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of spectators and limited viewing space, me and my family ended up on the side of a hill that had an incline of at least 60 degrees. In order to keep the spots which were the best available, we had to sit there for nearly two hours before the program started, and continue sitting for that as well. Needless to say, although the re-enactment was good, the experience was painful enough to nearly eliminate my enjoyment of the proceedings.

Considering that the event being commemorated cost thousands of people their lives for freedom, my pain is probably insignificant. However, I really would like to do it again only if I could sit on flat ground to watch.

– Gavin

Updates

In Five More Days…

…I will be back at school up in Michigan. It has been a great summer, but I am completely ready for one last year of college. Senior year will likely be tough, due to final projects, graduate school applications, and of course lots of farewells, but it should all be worth it. A week from Tuesday my fall semester classes begin. I am ready. Here goes what may be the best year of my life.

– Gavin

Updates

GRE Studies Continue

Today, I took a practice set for the GRE verbal section, and I managed to score 17/20. I would have been satisfied with this, had I actually made three legitimate mistakes. In actuality, I knew the correct answers for two of those three, and had just marked down the incorrect answers by mistake. I really need to shape up soon, or my graduate school search will get very futile very quickly…

– Gavin

Updates

A Blood Test Story

To accompany my doctors office visit last week, I needed a blood test to check glucose and cholesterol levels. I fasted for roughly twelve hours in order to do this, but I mistakenly did not drink any water during that time, as I confused the test’s preparation period with that of a surgery that I had when I was younger. Despite my dehydration, the technician was still able to find my vein on the first try. This was better than every previous time I had a blood sample taken, so I guess I was just lucky. I had a granola bar and a bottle of iced tea immediately afterwards, so I felt much better.

– Gavin

Updates

Beach Day

I did not post yesterday because I was at the beach with my family. We went to Lake Erie at a beach in Conneaut, OH. The beach has been a favorite of ours over the years, as the bottom of the lake is sandy, the water tends not to be too cold, the region near the shore is shallow enough for my little sisters to play in, and the atmosphere is generally nice. At the same time, you do not have to go out very far to swim. The beach itself is sandy, with a decent number of smooth rocks scattered about. There is also a nearby break-wall that is constructed so you can walk out on it into the lake, and there are a variety of nice picnic areas at the park as well.

Yesterday was not quite as nice as usual, as the water was unusually murky. Being my first time swimming this summer this was slightly disappointing. There were essentially no waves yesterday. While this was not necessarily a bad thing, I would have still enjoyed a little more roughness on the water’s part, as it makes the beach more interesting. This did allow for swimming practice though. It definitely was not my favorite beach trip in my life, but it could have been worse. I guess I really need to go more frequently.

– Gavin

Updates

Tie Shopping

Today, I went shopping for a dress shirt with my parents. While I was at the store, we realized that I needed a tie to accompany my chosen shirt.

Choosing a tie is a very serious matter. It has to be a color that contrasts with that of the shirt. It must also have a pattern that does not conflict. It needs to be different enough to promote an overall look, while not jumping out into everyone’s face. Finally, it has to go with me as well.

In the end, I ended up getting a checkered tie that was blue, orange, and white. As an added bonus, those happen to be the school colors for my college. It was a good purchase, and I am happy with it.

– Gavin

High School

A Lack of Talent

My younger sisters have been making homemade movies for years. When I was younger, I was in a few of them. They showed me one earlier today where I was a host of a program titled “Gun Safety for Dummies”. Less than ten seconds in, I had managed to shoot myself in the head. (My character did, not me in real life. The gun was a fake anyway.) Looking back, I can tell that film was not my true calling. My acting was atrocious, and I do not feel I could have pulled anything serious off.

– Gavin

Updates

Hearing Things

For the past year or so, my right ear has not been able to hear very well. I went to the doctor for my yearly checkup, and he found that there was a buildup of wax in my ear, which he promptly removed.

For the rest of the day, I have been marveling at how loud things sound to me now. I hear my footsteps on carpeted floors, the legs of my shorts rubbing together, and even the fluids moving in the car that I drove today after I turned the engine off. It is great to have the full extent of my hearing back, although things are still a bit loud.

– Gavin