It is that time again, when I spend tons of money on 5 different allergy medications which can be conveniently bought over the counter. My eyes are itchy, and I can't stand it. The watery mess which comes out of them leads people to believe I am having a breakdown so I have to frequently respond to their caring inquiries with, "I'm just fine, I have allergies." When I was a child, I had an arm test to see which allergens I react to. The only one that caused the skin to pop up was trees. I am apparently allergic to tree pollen. This time of year is when the city of trees, Sacramento, pollinates itself. Oh the flowers are pretty, but like everything pretty in life, it can kill you. (That means you Natalie Portman!) I am managing however.
Last week was exceptionally sad. My friend from the war Chad O'leary died. He was found dead at his mother's home in Topeka KS, and toxicology ruled the death as an overdose, and nobody is sure if it is accidental or not. He was a good man. Much like the rest of us who came back from the war, Chad suffered from PTSD, Post traumatic stress disorder. He was a gunner in a Humvee, playing a security role in a convoy in Iraq. His Humvee rolled over an IED, an improvised explosive device, which blew up and compressed his body. The main damage was to his and teams mental health. Surviving a bomb blast is traumatic. I survived small arms fire, and mortars and feel the pinch of PTSD with those simple things. Chad actually got blown up. One way or another, I firmly believe the PTSD led to his death and because he received the trauma from serving his country, then I believe Chad is a hero. He will forever be in my memory as one of my "true" buddies from my years in the Army.
I found out that there is going to be an open casting call for the TV show Glee at the Arden Fair mall here in Sacramento. The producers of glee are looking to cast 3 new people for the show and put out a request for video tape submissions. The video tape submissions however do not apply to Sacramento. 92.5 FM and FOX 40 got rights to somehow throw an audition and pick a winner to be presented directly to the producers of the show without a middle man throwing your audition out. The date for this is next Monday at 5:00pm. I do have class that starts at six but I am willing to be late to audition for this show. I think the Glee cast could use a fat guy to add some diversity. They are looking for what the business calls a triple threat, a person who can sing, act and dance. I can act, as well as sing very well dancing not so much. I will really have to try to ace the acting and singing parts, so the judges can overlook my horrid dancing.
My car is in the shop again, it need a new shifting assembly. I am being fleeced $880for the repairs. On the plus side they are throwing in a free car wash which makes this all worthwhile. I am using a loaner car and I am lucky to have gotten a Honda Accord with sunroof, all leather seats, duel exhaust and digital/electronic everything. Pretty nice loaner.
My brother, sister in law, niece and nephew are coming over this weekend so we can go to church as a giant family. Ironically, I never wanted to be a holiday Christian, (i.e. a person who claims Christianity as their religion yet practices it twice a year on Easter and Christmas.) I am however returning to church since last going on... Christmas Sunday. I am a real American at last. I practice religion at my convenience. I had wanted to do the Jewish thing this year and have a passover Seder, but I lost track of time, and never got around to planning it all out. I am however conflicted by a growing Jewish identity, based on my family genetics and ancestry, yet a faith in Yeshua (Jesus),Christianity and modern science. I am looking for middle ground.
I had wanted to go this weekend to Wondercon, the biggest Northern California comic book, pop-culture, sci-fi convention. Sadly, the car was in the shop, I have family coming over, and I procrastinated on my Spring Break homework. Chewbacca (or the fellow who played him rather) was going to be signing autographs. I can only hope he will be at Comic Con in San Diego this July. Comic Con is the biggest convention of it's kind on the entire planet. Last year saw crowds of over 150,000 people a day. That's what I call standing room only. If you think I am a big geek, go to comic-con and see the freakiest of the freaks.
I have begun selecting classes for this summer and fall semesters at CSUS. My 2 summer classes will be all online, so that will be something new. On the plus, I will avoid the high price of summer gasoline, and I won't have to worry about my vacation interfering with class, I do own a laptop. My fall semester is a complete block of senior seminar History courses. This is the big boy stuff. The core classes needed for the degree. I calculated based on credits I need that I will have to take 2.5 more semesters of school. Or take on a bigger load and do 2 more semesters for my BA. I am excited because it is coming along just fine. Within a year, my earnings potential will rise incredibly. I see job postings for decent paying jobs all the time that don't care what your degree is in so long as you have one. In this current economy, many individuals with a high school education or less are struggling, at least I know I will have the ability to compete through this recession. I actually want to go as far a getting my PHD in a dual History and Humanities major. I think a person needs to understand culture and religion to be able to really understand historical events.
In minor news, I just saw the trailer for Iron Man II, and I cant wait to see it next month. Robert Downey Jr. is a brilliant actor.
The music video of the day is "Dare you to move", by the band Switchfoot
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