Currently Listening Watch Out! By Alexisonfire see related

Next time I write something here, it won't be in Lima, OH and thats really all that matters.

Finally my time at Ford has come to an end.  When I look back on day one, I can't believe 10 weeks have already gone by since then.  Where did the time go? As the other intern I worked with says, "down the toilet, that's where it went".  That's true, it wasn't my ideal of a perfect, fun, or legendary summer.  I felt like I missed out on a lot of stuff at home, etc.  However, I wouldn't say it was a waste.  It was a big reality check for me and I got a chance to experience first hand a blue collar "city" (which is what the large majority of the United States is).  I always thought we had it pretty good in Naperville, but I had no idea how spoiled we are.  Naperville has everything, literally EVERYTHING you could want (well, except manatees*... and boy do I want those).  Although in Ohio I would definitely consider myself a city kid, compared to people who have lived in Chicago (the REAL Chicago) all their lives I am like basically a corn snorting farmer.  I don't think we realize that Chicago surburbs (and other big city rich-kid suburbs I suppose) are one of a kind, make up the very very small portion of the US population and are probably the most fortunate.

So was it a good summer? Sure it was. I met different kinds of people that I would find in Naperville. Visited Cincinnati to watch a Reds game (aka Cubs game). Went to Dearborn to kick it with the interns at Headquarters. Met people. Went to Cedar Point many a time. Went to Warped Tour. Lived by myself. Partied in Toledo. Got paid a lot for either napping or reading. Partied in Cincinnati. Went to Canada. Partied in Canada- a lot. Golfed for the first time. Partied in Findlay. Met more people. Went to Columbus. Learned stuff. Listened to music. Went to Kentucky. Spent a lot of money without much worry. Matured.

See you all at home.

*Manatees are large aquatic mammals sometimes known as sea cows.  They are herbivores, spending most of their time grazing in shallow water.  They inhabit the shallow, marshy coastal areas and rivers of the Caribbean Sea.  They spend half of their day sleeping in the water, surfacing for air every 20 minutes.  Manatees are slow moving, non-aggressive and generally curious creatures.  Three cheers for the manatee!

Currently Listening Chroma By Cartel see related

I've gotten pretty good at taking cat naps in recliney chairs at work.  It all starts with the difficult task of balancing my elbow on the thin armrests and holding my head on my hand as I tilt away from the people that can see me.  My recovery time from being asleep to shaking off my groginess to be able to talk normally with my supervisor when he walks up on me is improving by the day.  I just can't win... even when getting 8-9 hour sleep nights, the wakeup at 5:20 has never been well accepted by my body.  But hey, now I won't be able to complain if I have 8am classes... yeah that was lie.  8am classes can burn for all I care.  Good thing my schedule is cash money this semester and I'll be waking up daily at a resonable college student hour.  What is not cash money is ME 330... the most ridonculous engineering lab the world has seen plus other time consuming garbage.  I'm looking forward to returning to school like no other but who knows how much time I'll realistically have.  Still... that laid back first week of school I plan on going out till sunrise on a nightly basis.  Gotta live it up before I start realizing that I'm gonna spend more time at the library and the lab than at home.

My ebay addiction has been getting out control lately.  I've gotten a whole ton of garbage that turned bad on me including a pair of headphones that didn't work (I got refunded half my money) and a computer game in another language.  At least I finally came up winning when I got a sweet bluetooth set for my phone for like 22 bucks when they start at 50 in stores.  I am now gonna be one of those apparent imbecils that walk down the street appearing to talk to themselves but really are just talking on a pimp wireless earpiece.  I also bought a textbook for a class for this semester 40 bucks cheaper than the bookstore price.  Not bad... but its not like I wanted to spend this money.  The latest thing I've been eyeing is a new motorcycle... yeah... I know.  My self control is gonna have to show up sometime soon... preferably before I make any bids.

8 days till I go home.

16 days till I move back to school.

I've been listening to some new music since I went to Warped Tour.  One of my favorite bands of the moment is Cartel.  I command you to check them out.

Currently Listening The Ransom By Cartel see related

Can't wait to get back home and get back to school.

I totally capitalized on the 79 cent any size slushy or softdrink at Speedway the other day.  Naturally I got the slushy.

Since they must think I am mentally and/or physically slow at Ford, I finished all the projects I was assigned for the summer.  I have been reading and napping a lot at work.  Its ok, you shouldn't be concerned.  I can handle being paid for doing these things.

From June 15 to July 15, I spent almost 200 dollars in gas alone.

Next weekend I have a party in Findlay on Friday night, Saturday I am going to Warped Tour in Detroit, Sunday I might go to Cedar Point again, Monday I am taking off work and meeting up with a good friend in Columbus for the day.  It'll be interesting to see at what point during this weekend my body completely shuts down due to being overwhelmed.

Only two more weekends and three more weeks of work before I can get the frick out of this awful state.

I got mega sunburned when changing the spark plugs on Winston last weekend and my skin is getting peely.

The other day I dreamt that I was at work and it was time to go. I went to leave but the only exit was blocked by large boulders.  The only other way to exit was to crawl underneath a red stairway.  When I approached the stairway, I noticed it was dripping wet with engine coolant.  I didn't really have a choice so I bent down and crawled through the stairway as I got drenched in engine coolant.  It not even funny how real it all felt.

So today I fell asleep at work with my head in my hands right in front of the computer.  I dreamt that I was playing frisbee.  Then, when I get the frisbee in my dream I go to throw it.  When I throw it, I wake up as my head is falling heading straight towards the keyboard.  Turns out I had ACTUALLY done a throwing motion with my hand thus causing my head to fall.

It was awesome.

Currently Listening So Long, Astoria By The Ataris see related

Word to your mothers.  To update on my life lately...

Nachooooooooooooooo!!! I was expecting a new favorite movie of mine but ended up being quite the opposite.  I love Jack Black and the times in which he did burst into song or anytime he spoke with his classic face expressions was pretty entertaining.  Any time other than that... pretty much the worst movie I've seen in a while.

Went to Cedar Point for the second time.  Met up with a friend who works there, plus a friend working in Fort Wayne and two other people he dragged along.  The day was perfect for it, which unfortunately meant long lines most of the time but at least we never had to wait more than 45-60 minutes for any ride with the exception of the two best rides.  I can't get over how much I freaking love that place.  This time I spaced out the rides more evenly so I didn't feel like I was having a complete brain anneurism by 7pm.  (I'm not even sure what a brain anneurism is but it sounds like your brain would be in pain so I decided to use it.  If you have a problem with me using that expression, you can go jump off a cliff) We stayed till close and it was good times.

Unfortunately I am now 20 years old.  My teenage years are now history.  7 years of teenagerness seemed a lot longer than they actually were, but overall a really major and incredibly important transitional period in becoming who I am today.  For my birthday, I brought doughnuts in for the guys I work with, got taken out to lunch, Amanda came down from Findlay, got taken out to dinner, then went to karaeoke night at Buffalo Wild Wings to make fun of the people that are seriously into their awful singing.  We went there with some co-workers (the younger cooler guys) and they are funny as poo.  Example: the waitress walks by, asks "Do you guys need anything over here?".  One of the guys that is big, black, and hysterical responds "Yea! Some earplugs and a bullet!".  Maybe you had to be there.

I'm going to go to Warped Tour in Detroit with my good friend living in Cincinnati this summer.  The idea is to go the night before, stay in Windsor, Canada (18 year old gambling and drinking age), waste our money, then go to the show the next day and make our eardrums wish they never even existed.  Its like 12 hours of music- should be a memorable weekend.

Working every morning from 6:30am to 3pm monday thru friday is pretty rough despite me liking (for the most part) the work that I do.  After doing this and talking with a lot of the younger generation fulltimers that I work with, I have decided that I am almost entirely sure that I am going to study abroad and go to grad school.  What is the hurry to graduate?  To start working fulltime where summer breaks are reduced to one or two weeks during the summer and winter breaks are only one week long? Why would I want to begin waking up at 5 in the morning for the next 40 years?  Our college undergrad years are going to be the most priceless experience of our lives.  What would be the only reason I wouldn't want to spend another semester or year in college? Money? I'm probably going to be paying loans for a while anyway, plus you can find payment plans that suit your needs.  I have learned to never NOT do things because of money.  Enjoy the time you have now when you're young and while you still have only yourself to look after.  Spend money on yourself! Spend money on those you care about! Don't end up regretting a lot of things you didn't do because it was "too expensive" or "too complicated" like I have learned from several of the younger co-workers.  There will come a time when you start working and you marry... and it won't be "your" life anymore.  Another co-worker of mine just had his first child 2 years ago and just became dad to another one.  He says he hasn't watched the TV he wants in years.  If he is ever in front of the TV, it is watching "The Wiggles" or "Teletubbies" with his daughter.  The rest of the weekend is spent working on the house.  He doesn't say that he doesn't like it... but it is completely different from the live that you and I have right now.  So although I can't really speak from experience, I have heard it way too often... please, stay in school.  Make the best of the the time you have now.  Enjoy college.  Do things you normally wouldn't do.  Take chances.  Just do it.

How ironic, the CD currently in my car is old school Ataris- songs all about thinking back about the past and re-living happy memories.

I'll be home this weekend and I have been looking forward to it for a while.  The only thing planned is a wedding satuday, going into sunday.  One of the older interns that I worked with last summer at Deere is getting married in Moline and alllllll the interns (the cool ones anyway) are going to be there.  I am beyond excited... a lot of these guys ended up being among my best friends away from home and school.  Besides this, I'd really like to go to the city and maybe see some Ribfest action.  All of this will happen while at the same time hoping for good weather so I can ride the motorcycle EVERYWHERE.

That'll I've got for now.  See y'all at home!!!!!!!!!!!