I've been kind of busy these last couple of days, finding things to get done and keep busy with. Had my car's oil changed today. Saw "28 Days Later" with Brendan last week (fantastic film. Good times with an old friend) Went to Kinko's to get my friend Tom's stories copied (they're really, really good...he's Writer's Workshop at U of Iowa bound...) Went running every day this week. Went to Best Buy yesterday and picked up the second season of the West Wing on DVD (fantastic..."2 Cathedrals" is probably my favorite episode) Saw "The Godfather: Part 2" last week (wow...all I can say is wow to the depth of the story that Coppola and Puzo create...)Thoroughly cleaned my keyboard today (yeah, I know, I'm a nerd...) I also got a haircut today, so I can finally see out of my eyes without the long straight hairs in the front obscuring things.
I've also spent some time fixing up my father's mountain bike up the last few days, as my bike was destroyed when I learned the hard way that I couldn't pull that far into the garage. It's my hope to get it in a decent condition to take it back on the North Central Railroad trail, and perhaps go a little further than I've been before along it's path. The trail runs right alongside the neighborhood that I live in. My sister and I made it to Monkton one summer, a distance of like 8 miles from our house. It goes into York, PA, and the entire length runs about 40 miles. I love biking the trail - the catch is realizing that the farther one makes it up the trail, the farther one has to travel to return. I would have probably been on the trail tonight, had the rain not hit.
The only thing I've had a problem with fixing on the bike are the brakes. Both are a little loose: the rear one offers no resistance at all, while the front will stop the bike eventually. The trail itself isn't too hilly, however, I would still like to be able to stop at some point.
The other really good return that I've had this week was a return to writing. I finally took some time over the last two days to sit and get some stuff out. I usually complain that I never have the time to write, or that my schedule never permits it, but that's usually not the case. I hadn't been feeling anything recently that I've absolutely had to get out onto paper. The last couple of days have been a return to making myself put something down. What I've written isn't much; it's fleshing out a story that's been in the back of my mind since January tentatively titled, "Yellow Roses." I kind of see being somewhere in the middle of a first draft. I tend to handwrite my first drafts on legal pads and then work through another draft getting it into the computer. The good part is that this one has its opening and conclusion, and what I feel is left fits squarely in the middle all over the place.
Other than that, things have been kind of boring the past couple of days. I'm trying to keep busy because it minimizes thoughts of La Salle, and my friends that are up in Philadelphia. I've been kind of lonely since getting home. It's been tough going from Senior Week - a week of constant interactions with friends - to these last couple of weeks - where my interaction has been mainly with my parents, sister, and her dog. I wish I were working right now just to be making some money, although I'm loving the time off and know that no one here would hire me back for the incredibly short time I'm going to be here (my best estimates put me back in Philadelphia in Mid-June) This weekend should be fun - Ali is having her grad party on Saturday, and Brendan is having his on Sunday.
If the thunderstorms hold off tomorrow, I'll probably hit the trail with the bike. If not, more errands will be made up and run. And yes, more pages will be written.