kobe and horner

wow. what a great weekend in sports. chris horner, racing for davitamon-lotto, won a stage and earned a day in the yellow jersey at the tour de romandie. kobe and the lakers came from being down 0-1 to the suns to now being up 3-1 after kobe hit the game tying shot for OT and then the game winning shot in OT, beating the suns at the staples center. phenomenal. they are both total studs. being a complete bike nerd, i think i am more excited for horner. because he is sticking it to the euros in his season and a quarter racig over there after dominating everyone here in the states for the past few years.

other than wanting to jump up and down with excitement watching sports the past few days (and having to physically restrain myself because of my clavical), life has been sweet. yeah sure, a few downers, both people and events, but in my opinion the positives have had far greater value. got to see some oldschool cats on saturday afternoon. been spending some great time outdoors. and hanging out with some uber-fun new persons.

its incredibly difficult to believe that i have one presentation, 2 papers, and one exam separating me from graduating college. i have had a sort of change in mental state over the course of the semester. at the beginning, i was very much in sync with the "do whatever i want because i only have one semester left and then i am gone" attitude. not in a particularly evil way. more that i was fixated on the fact that i am moving to pittsburgh and starting from scratch with friends and life. but as the semester progressed i became more in tune with my current friends and past friends and life in harrisonburg. still looking forward to the new life i am about to begin, but placing more value on the good things i have had going for me for so long and by no means just throwing them behind me as i walk off into hills of western pa. part of that has a lot to do with the admirable and brave steps some people made to reconcile differences a few months ago. part has to do with being able to differentiate between the importand and petty things. and another part has to do with the quasi-new people i have hung out with and fresh new people i have met this semester. its relieving that i am no longer fixated on the frightening aspect of being on my own. i am cognizant of the awesome times i still havent had before moving up there and feel much more grounded, if that makes sense?

if you do one thing this week prior to graduation, i recommend walking slow. trust the cripple who has to walk slow everywhere. it can give you incredible peace of mind and relaxation just walking around campus, to/from your exams, one last time to dhall and breathing in jmu and all it has provided for you for the past 4 (or 3, or 7) years. think of everyone you have met. try and grasp the fact that your college career is coming to an end, and it was unforgettable.

love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well

vincent van gogh