GRADUMATATION

To All the Northland Graduates of 2012:

Congratulations! This is a happy time of year for you all as well as a sad time of year. Very nerve-wracking, but also very exciting. Tons of emotions. Whatever you all do with your lives, I hope that it involves adventure, excitement, and lots of learning. We've learned a lot and have gone through a lot at Northland, and the world will show us even more. It will open our minds and hearts more. Northland was just the beginning, and the world is the next step. Make a difference in lives, and make the best of whatever you have wherever you are. You make your own path. Good luck, and I'll love and miss you all.

Transition time

So in the next couple weeks, life will be very busy. I will be having my last week at work this week and then hauling myself and my car around Lake Michigan to go to Wisconsin. It's a long drive, and I know it. I just made myself a CD to prepare for the drive (and just in case my ipod dies before I am able to charge it). Driving through the countryside you don't get many radio stations, so it's best to be prepared.

I'm really excited to be going on a road trip. Other than possibly my car dying on the way. Next weekend several of my friends will be graduating from Northland -- And I am really excited for all of them. It's just the start of the beginning of a whole new life. It's kinda like when we all left home to go to college.

It's the way life is. All about changes, both good and bad.

I am going to miss all the people that I've met here though. Today at work, I was thinking about how different it will be once I leave. I won't see those people for a while, or even at all in the future. I really like the conversations and topics that may or may not be true but are ridiculous either way. Those safety meetings we keep talking about. Those ridiculous answering machines or comments that people make on the phone. The quotes on life and the comments we make every time Rufus tells a story.

All those great ridiculous times. I will miss it. That's for sure. Hopefully I'll be able to get a picture from Rufus of when we all went bowling for the Big Brothers Big Sisters fundraiser.

That is, if he's there this week. 

To give, or not to give? That is the question.

You ever have those moments where you're just minding your own business, and a person comes up to you and asks for money? I'm sure everyone has had their fair share of experiences. How many times does that happen? Every week, day, hour? Out of all that, how many times do you actually give in -- give them that one or two dollars?

Most people (I believe) would say they don't do that. I'm sure there are a few that will say they do for the most part. I, on the other hand, am part of the group that looks away for the most part. I know that's bad, but I'm being completely honest. I'm sure you have done that before, if not multiple times - at least once. It's part of the norm. We tend to close or avert our eyes to avoid seeing what we don't want to see. But that doesn't make the issue go away. It's still there.

Pretending that it's not there or that it doesn't affect us happens in a lot of aspects of life. Whether it is an issue with a person, an issue with a group of people, or an issue with government. Lots of people would rather ignore than to do. But it does affect us in some way, and most definitely has a domino effect.

The reason that I bring up this issue is because a few weeks ago, I had a stranger ask for money. I was pumping gas into my car at a local gas station and a van drives up, semi-blocking two cars next to me that were also being filled up. A guy gets out of the van and tells his story.

Everyone has a story. His though, was explaining how someone he knows is in the hospital -- he's on his way to see her -- and he's literally running out of gas with no money on him. I mean, it's definitely one of the excuses I haven't heard. And it sounds legit. In today's world, especially in urban areas, a lot of families are struggling to make ends meet. Gas prices are going up, food is going up -- and still a lot of people are unemployed.

So while hearing this story, I glance at the expressions of the two guys pumping gas into their cars. Of course, the typical reaction is IGNORE. And you can see it spralled across their faces.

Then the guy adds in this -- that a woman in the car (and she was ligitimately there) had told him to AT LEAST TRY. And that's when I decided I would give him at least something. The way that he had said it made me think that he really didn't think anyone would help, but he was still trying to see if it was possible. Maybe I made that up in my head. I don't remember. It's not like it happened yesterday. I could've made that up for all I know. But it did sound like that.

So I went into my car and grabbed some cash (it was all that I had on me, a $5 bill) and told him to take it. He thanked me and went straight into the gas station. And I straight away booked it out of there.

Why? Why didn't I look back to see what he had actually spent the money on? I mean, I gave him money -- shouldn't I have at least looked to see if he was telling the truth?

To be honest, I did actually think about that. Very briefly. Like literally two seconds. And then a quote that most people have heard from Anne Frank popped into my head:

                  In spite of everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.

I didn't want to think about whether he was lying or telling the truth anymore. I eliminated the thought from my head. If he was lying, well then I helped him at least this one time get away with it -- and was a sucker for it. If he was telling the truth though, well then I helped him make it to the hospital and probably made him believe that sometimes it is worth it to try something that you think wouldn't work.

What would you have done?

Eric Hutchinson w/Anya Marina - Two Really Talented Musicians

So last night, I went to a concert for two musicians that I really haven't known for very long. Recently, I had found out that Eric Hutchinson, originally from Washington DC, was coming to a local venue, and I figured why not spend some money to listen to him. Granted I did check out some of his music on youtube before actually buying the tickets, but that's not the point. The opening musician, all the way from Portland OR, was someone that I had never heard of before -- a woman called Anya Marina. They both seemed pretty legit.

All day I had been excited to see the concert. I knew that I was going by myself, and yes I was a bit nervous about it -- but that is why I had bought the tickets a week before the concert. I couldn't back out of going if I had already paid for them right?

Anyways, when I got there, I had to wait a while. Apparently the doors were supposed to open at 8pm and the concert started at 9. I guess I had missed the memo on that one, but I am glad that I got there early so that I could at least get a good spot. Definitely above the crowd next to the stage, but right in the front so I had a great view. When Anya Marina came on, she seemed really nice and made a few jokes. Definitely had some great comments throughout her show, but I feel like I need to say that she wasn't what I had expected. I mean, her first two songs were okay, but it was all the songs after the first two that I instantly loved. Her music isn't like any of the "now pop hits" but it isn't bad. She had some really powerful songs, and really made the crowd active. I don't think the youtube videos of her gave her any justice. She is WAAAYYY better live.

Funny thing is, so was Eric Hutchinson. When his band came onstage, they came in a procession -- all dressed in white shirts and red ties. Definitely a great bunch of guys. And when Eric himself came onstage, everyone -- the band, the crowd, and him -- immediately started grooving and singing and just LOVIN it. I loved how the connection between the band members were. The guy on the keyboard as well as Eric made eye contact and were smiling while singing and you could just TELL that they loved the music and were really into being there. There's no other way to explain it. They were there for the music and for the joy of playing. The drummer was too and definitely the bass player was -- him and his fro were grooving the whole night. And...OH MY GOD. The crowd. I could not believe how many people knew his songs and were singing along to it. Granted, I have been to a few concerts in my lifetime, but never have I been to one where pretty much every single person knew the words to pretty much every single song. Maybe it's because I usually see local small bands. I don't know. But it was pretty crazy. You could just feel the love the crowd had for his music and for him and his band. Downright crazy I tell you.

I am definitely glad that I got to see them. Two great musicians with the people that make their music happen. I wish that I had gotten some good pics of them, but it's ok. I have that image in my memory. Or at least bits and pieces of what I can remember. It might go away through time, but I'll still remember the general details, at least I hope.

Oh, I also met a pretty nice couple. They were from Grand Rapids MI and had driven from their earlier to see him in downtown Ferndale.  I think (but am not entirely sure) that their names were Kayla & Mitch. They seemed like a really cute couple, one that meshed really well together. I really enjoyed their company. I think being next to them and having them groove alongside me definitely made my night.

And to think that if I had backed out of the concert, I wouldn't have had anything to write to you now. So YAY for random purchases and stumbles in life, especially one that involves people and music.

HELLO HELLLOOOOO

Hey,

So first post ever on this gigantic worldwide reference called the WEB. It's kinda scary to think that this will possibly stay here forever, and that years from now I will be able to read and reminisce about old times.

A couple people that I work with told me that they were looking back on their myspace pages one day...that they had stumbled upon it. And they could not believe that what they had wrote back then -- as a teenager -- had actually been them. They also cared to inform me (which I didn't really think about until now) was that once something is posted on the web, it never goes away. EVER. of course, you can delete it, but there will still be some traces of it somewhere.

I guess in a sense that would be like leaving a piece of you behind that wouldn't go away, kind of like a memory. Everyone in this world wants to leave a piece of them behind once they pass. It's either making a difference in the world, having their name engraved on a plaque, being the donor of a scholarship -- it could be anything. Even a blog post on the internet.

We'll see how long I can keep this blog post going. Of course, there will be times that I won't write in it, but hopefully I'll be able to write every once in a while. Life is an adventure, and you gotta make something out of it. Whatever it may be. And whoever it will be with. I wish that I had decided to start this blog back when I had just graduated from Northland, but it's alright. I'm starting now. Almost a year has passed since graduation, but it doesn't feel like it.

One quote that a guy has said to me at work (and which I have posted in my little desk area) is something that I think about constantly -- moreso because it is posted right where I can see it everyday. It reads as this:

The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces. 

And when the world says 'Give Up,' hope whispers 'Try It One More Time.'

Anyways, until next time. Hasta luego.