The American Dream and Occupy Wall Street

The American Dream is so misunderstood. People seem to think that the American Dream is dead because they moved here from Mexico or Russia or China or where ever else and their life isn't that much better. They may not have a job, or welfare may not pay all their bills. That's not what the American Dream is. The American Dream was to MAKE a better life for yourself through an OPPORTUNITY given to you by being in a free country. You have to WORK. Create a business, go find a job, earn the money you need to feed your family.

The American Dream is not about moving to America and instantly having a better life.

The American Dream is about having an opportunity to create a better life.

This goes for you "Occupy Wall Street"ers too. Does the economy collapse suck? Absolutely. Is it fair that CEOs got raises larger than what most of us will earn in a lifetime? No. But life isn't fair. Quit sitting around waiting for someone to change things. You're throwing a temper tantrum. "Johnny has all the toys and I don't have any and I don't like that. Make him share." "The Big Four have all the money and I don't have any and I don't like that. Make them share." You don't even have a proposed plan for change, nor do you have specific demands.

Why don't you learn how to save, start a company, and create jobs? Then you're making money, the unemployed get jobs, and we can start healing our country. Instead, you're standing in various cities around the country throwing a temper tantrum reminiscent of a three-year old. Grow up. Take some responsibility for yourself.

By the way, NYC has estimated this has cost them $2mil in overtime for police forces. Guess who's paying for that overtime out of the money they don't have? The 99%.

I'm not part of the 1%. I have student loan debt. I don't like the banks. But I am part of a different 1% (if it's even that big). I'm part of the 1% of this country that has mentally grown up and taken steps to protect myself from these banks. Why don't you go educate yourself on how credit cards and ARMs work instead of standing around, whining? Maybe if you better understood how those worked, you wouldn't be a part of the 99%.

Untitled

A woman walked out of her shop one day. She sat down at the bus stop just outside, next to a man who had been there quite a while. She knew he was headed nowhere, so she spoke to him alone there, trying to bring his problems into light. She said,

“I can see the sadness in your eyes,
Such sadness,” she said.
“What's causing this sadness within
Your eyes, my friend?
Have you had your heart broken?”
“No, not my heart,
Only a high school crush, long-forgotten,
many years ago.”
“Have you lost someone dear?”
“Not for multiple years.”
“So why the sadness,
the hurt,
the pain in those bright blue eyes?”
He said,

“I'm a traveler of this world,
I see firsthand how life swirls.
I've see life and death and ev’rything in between.
I see joy and I see suffering
I see hatred and some loving
But the one thing that I have yet to see
Is someone
Who truly loves
Me.”

At this, she was shocked. She had seen this man around town with his wife, child, and friends, and they all got along very well. She just couldn’t see how this man, who had a wonderful family and friends, could possibly say he hadn’t been loved! She said,

“Now you know that's crazy!
Your friends, wife, and baby
all look at you with those adoring eyes.
If love is not within them,
they're good at keeping hidden
their true selves
way down deep inside.”
And he replied,

“I'm a traveler of the world,
See firsthand how this life swirls.
I've seen hope and despair,
jealousy so green.
My family loves my money,
my friends so cruel, ‘cause Honey,
the one thing I have yet to see
Is someone who truly loves
Me.

10/06/2011

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author.

"But I'm TRYING!"

How are you trying? If you truly want something, it’ll happen because you’ll take action. If you’re not sure or you don’t truly want it, you’ll “try” but if things don’t work out, you’ll fall back to the status quo and be okay with it.

The question is: How bad do you actually want it?

If you’re not sure, I’m not convinced you really want it that bad.

You’re not sure because you never really considered it. You thought it was what you wanted to do because it’s what others are doing or you thought it would be nice, but you never contemplated the reality of your personal situation. You never sold yourself on the idea.

Outside events have nothing to do with what you want, or they shouldn’t at least. There’s not attainable goal because the whole idea is based on some notion you’ve created in your head, not fact. You need to make your life endogenous, about YOU and what you need to do, not what’s happening around you. Reality is perception, which means everything you think is real is only a semi-factual spin on what is actually happening.

Our society is definitely self-centered, but it is also a self-perfect society. “I am perfect so everything is everyone else’s fault.” This “new” way of thinking is rare to find in practice and even rarer to hear out loud. It’s not anyone else’s fault or responsibility, it’s YOURS. Take action and do something about it. Don’t wait for some elected leader to fix it or for your boss to give you a raise…do something to change it. Facts don’t change; it’s that perception, your “spin” on the facts that needs to.

It starts with figuring out what you actually want.

You have goals somewhere in your mind. Find them and examine them. Why do you REALLY want that particular thing?

Others can’t be any more help than you are to yourself. All I do is ask questions. You need to do all the work.

Nights Like This

A dark night, deserted road
Empty town, no place to go
It’s nights like this,
Nights like this

Rain comin’ down, cleanse the world
Crazy thoughts, mind in a swirl
It’s nights like this,
Yeah, nights like this when the lonely hits.

She ain’t comin’ back,
No use in tryin’
Screwed up, I missed my chance
A piece of my soul is dyin’
It’s nights like this
Yeah, it’s nights like this
It’s nights like this when the lonely hits.

Brown box full of memories
Try to forget, can’t let go
It’s nights like this,
Nights like this.

Oh, I’m sorry for the things I put you through
Can’t believe the things I said to you
I’d be happy with one
Last
Kiss…

But she ain’t comin’ back.
There’s no use in tryin’
I screwed up and missed my chance
I can feel inside I’m dy-in’
It’s nights like this
Whoa-oh it’s nights like this
Yeah it’s nights like this
When the lonely hits.

5/24/2011

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author.

Stumbling

Golden sky, Bright Blue sun
Green asphalt, Black grass
Plumes of Fiery Red smoke
Heat radiating from dark, unseen fire.
Gold is Blue is Green is Black is Red is
Transparent.

Invisible, unseen danger.
Blind to threats, all surrounded.
Hit with Red rocks of life,
Drawing Gray emotional blood.
Stumbling.

Trying to break free,
Running into barbed fences,
Fences made of nothing.
Fighting torturous demons,
Demons only in the mind.
Stumbling.

Falling.

A hand reaching out,
Cold, harsh hand,
Pulling out of the darkness
Into the light.
Standing.

Opening of eyes,
Viewing the world,
Too large, too scary.
Can’t walk alone.
Stumbling.

Falling.

Crashing.

Life.

Living.

Alive.

4/18/2011

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer

This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author. 

Drugs

The Advil they call drowsiness
Morphs into Vicodin they call sleep
It all “lasts 8 hours” but nothing kills
The pain deep inside, within me.

I can’t believe the way that she
Decides to run my life
Drivin’ me crazy
And yet
She’s the only thing keeping me
From pulling that wheel
Runnin’ off the road
To disaster

The Advil they call drowsiness
Morphs into Vicodin they call sleep
It all “lasts 8 hours” but nothing kills
The pain deep inside, within me.

My parents warned me of
The dangers:
Booze and drugs
Rock and sex
My conscience is hardly keeping me
From downin’ that bottle
Shootin’ up ice
Headed down that alley
To disaster

The Advil they call drowsiness
Morphs into Vicodin they call sleep
It all “lasts 8 hours” but nothing kills
The pain deep inside, within me.


Author's Statement: The author in no way, shape, or form advocates drug use except when prescribed by a medical doctor or taken according to directions. Depression, bipolar disorder, addiction and other mental health issues are extremely serious. If you suspect you suffer from any of these afflictions, please see you medical health professional as soon as possible.

Posted 3-21-11. Original date of authorship unknown.

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer

This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author

Right or Wrong?

Who decides right and wrong? According to Business Law 060, ethics can be based on a number of ethical theories. There are theories that say that whatever is best for society is ethical, but there are other theories, primarily ethical relativism, that say that whatever you decide is ethical is right. Who decides which theory everyone else should follow? Why should I be worried about anyone else? What’s to keep me from stealing money or cars or anything else in order to benefit myself? That’s perfectly moral according to ethical relativism.

On top of these questions, what does it mean to be ethical? If you behave in a “moral” manner, does that make you better than the guy down the street who sells meth to kids? Again, it comes back to whose right it is to judge. From a religious standpoint, there are some very clear rules stated in each religion as to what is or is not moral, but there are quite a few gray areas too. Take driving, for example. A few nights ago, I was late getting home. I was driving along in a hurry when I came to a stoplight. The light was red, but there was nobody else around, not even cops. Would I be acting unethically if I blew that red light, even I was not putting anyone in danger? Many people would say that I broke the law, therefore blowing the light is wrong. Now say I had someone who was dying in the backseat of my car. If I blow through the red light, they live, if I stop, they die. Is it still wrong to blow that red light? Yes, because I broke the law. But then didn’t I just save someone’s life? Or, if I stop, didn’t I obey the law, but kill someone?

Maybe morality is based on a points system. To blow the red light simply to get home faster is -1 point for breaking the law. To ignore it to save someone, or stopping and having them die would then be a total of 0 points; +1 for stopping or saving someone, and -1 for ignoring the light or letting the person die. Even religion cannot completely explain this one. You would have to imagine 99% of religions would say that you have a duty to save that person, and yet those same religions would probably say that you must obey the laws of authority as well.

Another possibility is that morals are based on karma. Similar to the points system, you get good karma for doing good things and bad karma for doing bad things. However, it’s more of a weighted points system, where saving a life would give you more good karma than running a red light would give you bad karma.

I don’t really care what you believe about right and wrong, morality and ethics. I simply pose this little problem to you in order to get you thinking. And through this thinking and these questions, I actually would like you to answer one question for me. It seems simple, but clearly there is no “simple” in morality. My question is this: after reading this and thinking about right and wrong, who the hell are you to judge what I do or what I have done in my past or what I will do in my future? My belief is that there are exactly two people who can and will judge me: myself and God. You may or may not like what I do with my life, and you have every right to tell me that, but before you judge my character based on isolated instances, remember that you have no idea what I’ve been through in life or what has shaped me up to this point. There’s a reason I do what I do, a method to the madness. You can get sneak peeks into that through my writing and spending time with me, but don’t EVER presume to know me enough to make a judgment on me or my character.


© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author

What's A Degree?

What is a college degree? Is it really important in the grand scheme of life? Or is it just a piece of paper that you pay thousands of dollars for and hang on your wall? Obviously, there are some careers that require certain degrees or certifications such as doctors, lawyers, CPAs, teachers, engineers, and the like. But is that business, graphic design, or journalism degree really necessary? How much do you learn in those classes that you can’t learn in job training or a quick Google search? Professors talk about the need to know the history of the profession or concepts in order to know why things work. However, when you get into your career field, you’ll find that the history of the profession is often useless; sure, it got the field to where it is, but you want to help move the industry forward, not back. Similarly, you will probably need the concepts, but you will rarely need to know who or how the concepts were discovered, you just need to know how to apply them; again, something that often comes in job training.

Take, for example my roommate, friend, and occasional inspiration, Jeffrey Hirsch. Recently, Jeff went to Nashville, Tennessee for a country music convention in order to meet people from the industry and learn more about the record label side of the business. This trip was completely unrelated to school and he had to miss a week of classes in order to attend. During this trip, he met many people in the record label and music business and, through conversation and seeing the industry in action, he learned straight from the source how different aspects of marketing and advertising worked together, how certain things could then lead to the need for public relations knowledge, and how all these things actually apply in the country music industry. Few of the people he talked to would have actually been able to tell him the name of the principles they were using, yet they are generally successful business people. In fact, Jeff found that he would meet people who were proud of the fact that they were successful with no education at all.

But education is so important! Yes, it is. But is it necessary? And how much are you really learning? You can go to class every day, get straight A’s, and I will still argue that you have not necessarily learned anything. Many students never actually learn the material presented in their classes, they simply stuff the information into their head long enough to spit it back out on a test. This is not learning. If I gave students a test made up of random test questions from classes they have taken and don’t give you time to “study,” which would actually just be stuffing as much information into your head as possible, I bet the majority of students would fail. Learning means knowing something so well you can recreate it, even years later. Memorization is simply storing information for a period of time. The problem is memory is faulty and you lose most things in memory if you do not regularly go over the information.

So what is a degree? A degree for the vast majority of people is a piece of paper that says “This person is very good at memorizing information for a short period of time, but they never actually learned anything.” I’ve told Jeff—and I truly believe this—that he has taught me more important and applicable concepts and ideas than any class in college. He’s taught me at least one way to make my money work for me instead of me working for my money. He’s also turned me on to a number of ideas and authors. As I read these books and listen to Mr. Hirsch, I find myself thinking more and more in terms of these concepts, applying them to my life when possible. This is true learning: discovering or hearing something and then applying it to life. This is exactly what a degree does not do. A degree is what Daniel Pink would call an “if-then” reward. These say, “if you do this, then you receive this.” Pink examines these rewards in much more depth in his book Drive: the Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, but what you need to know is that “if-then” rewards actually decrease the target behavior, which would be actual learning in a college setting. Students are told that if they meet the requirements for GPA, credit hours, etc., then they will receive their degree. This encourages students to do anything they can simply to meet the requirements given them. They no longer have any incentive to learn for the sake of learning; they want to “learn” in order to get a piece of paper that supposedly opens all kinds of doors. Students are suddenly not opposed to taking shortcuts because they are only working toward that piece of paper instead of working toward mastery of a particular subject. When working toward mastery, taking shortcuts only hurts the individual student. But when a student is working toward a degree, shortcuts are simply the means to an end.

This is the problem with our college-driven society. In other countries and cultures, many people attend universities simply for the sake of learning. A degree is not needed in many countries because most people just take over the family business. In the United States, however, our society is obsessed with college degrees and higher learning, which actually causes an inflation in the value of a college degree. 30 years ago, you didn’t need a college degree to get a job in most places. 10 years ago, people started realizing they needed to get a bachelor’s degree to get a job, regardless of what the degree was in. Today, even bachelor’s degrees aren’t enough in some cases. Why the sudden need for higher degrees? Has the nature of jobs today really changed that much? You could argue that either way, but the majority of change has gone from mechanical work with constant rules and laws into a more fluid, creative sector that higher education simply cannot teach.

The most important knowledge you can have is in common sense and financial literacy if you wish to be successful in today’s world. You don’t need a college degree to know how to buy houses and rent them out, or to invest in stable stocks and ride them out for 20 or 30 years as they grow. Some of the most successful people in the world have no college degree, they simply had a great idea at the right time and jumped into it, refusing to fail because if they did, they would have nothing. Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and many others have either no college education or they dropped out well before receiving their degrees, and yet they are either on the cutting edge of today’s technology and communications or the richest people in the world…or both. Success does not hinge on your education. Success is made up of common sense, smart financial planning, smart investments, and just a tiny bit of luck.

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author

The Pick

It seems small and insignificant sitting on my desk. Most people wouldn’t even notice it unless they looked closely. There are all kinds of little trinkets and items on my desk; this is no different from the others, and yet it is. They say it’s the little things that count, the simple things that make us appreciate life. In order for that to be true, you have to notice the little things before they can mean anything. To any other person, this tiny, guitar pick means absolutely nothing. It could be one of hundreds that I keep, being a guitar player. But they don’t see the true significance of this particular pick. This pick is the catalyst for my love of guitar.

It’s a fairly thick pick, made for playing bass guitar, but still thin compared to a “typical” bass pick. It creates as pure and warm of a sound as possible without using the fingering method, the way bass guitars were meant to be played. That thin line it walks between purely human playing and manufactured plastic sound is a constant reminder of that line I must walk between the different facets of my life: friend, family, professional, student. I’m always treading this line, blurring the different identities, trying to show people the “me” I want them to see, but never fully able to keep them from seeing pieces of my other identities as well.

The pick’s overall color is a pure white, flawless. On one side, it’s marked with the word “HURT,” an obscure band with a rabid fan base. That purity a reminder of what I am striving for, pure, flawless playing. Always working toward mastery, that untouchable intangible, the chance to someday be able to play any song I wish, and to play it for a rabid fan base. That “HURT,” that obscure band with the most loyal of all fans, prompting me to remain true to the purity of playing for the love of guitar, not for money or fame. If I ever get the chance to play for a crowd, I’ll play with that pick on a chain around my neck, that constant physical reminder to go out, have fun, and then thank that audience with a personal meet-and-greet, a personal handshake or hug and a heartfelt “Thanks” for the support of this pure musical and soulful experience. And I wait for that day when a teenager, around 16 or 17 years old, comes up to me, awestruck, showing me the pick I tossed into the crowd, I make sure to show him that tiny, insignificant, near-invisible white pick that sits on my desk, now hanging around my neck, and I tell him my story and encourage him to go out, grab a guitar, and play for the love of playing.

3-1-2011
© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author

"Put it this way: if you can't be reasonably responsible when drinking, maybe you should question whether youre responsible enough to drink"

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author

Brilliance!

Again, someone who can explain things much better than I ever could. Quiz before the video: is your house an asset or liability? How about your car? ATV? Rental property?



Adam Carroll is an incredibly intelligent man, especially on financial matters. He argues that you should be trying to build up these things called "Massive Passive Permanent Streams of Income." Check out his book to find out why and how!



© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author

Schooooool's Out. For. EVER!

Aren't you sick of reading this blog yet? Seriously, there's nothing important in here, since 2011 started, anyway. Do you just like reading about my life? Are you stalking me?? I'm calling the police. They can track you down, you know. They'll keep me safe. Creeper.

Whoo...that was weird. Sorry. Strange mood today.

I'm still having problems coming up with stuff to tell you about...my life just is not that interesting. I can't even take every day occurences and put a spin on them because the same things happen to me every day and they're so mundane, it's not even possible to make them interesting. I'll do my best though.

Yesterday I pulled out my brand new chromatic guitar tuner and played a little last night...it's actually easier for me to play when I'm tuned in DropDb. Probably a good thing too, since my E string is kinda messed up and it's risky to tune it all the way up to standard. I should just get a new string, but for the time being, I think I'm going to leave it in DropDb and transpose songs to that. Makes it easier when I don't have to tune too.

So I really find my business law class interesting, but I find myself dreading it more and more every Tuesday and Thursday. I think the biggest reason is because my professor uses me as an example all the time. I've been used as a unique example 10 or 11 times in the 5 classes that have not been tests. That's two examples that could be as long as 10-15 minutes each. That means that I'm being used 20-30 minutes out of every 75 minute class. A bit ridiculous if you ask me. Other thing I hate is the homework...which I put off until after my morning classes...giving me approximately 3 hours to do the homework. It's not overly hard, but it's time consuming, boring, and horribly intricate and detailed.

Another class I'm dreading more and more is Psych Stats. I sit here and waste my time listening to my professor who seems to think he's a stand up comedian. In addition, he thinks he's a lot younger than he is because he just used "BTW" in lecture. Seriously. On top of all that, he's about 75% deaf and therefore can't hear anyone who asks questions during this review session and he also yells pretty much the whole time. It's just a little irritating.

And finally, English. I just don't like this class. Really haven't since the beginning of the semester, but things aren't getting any better. I don't like writing about myself. Let me write about whatever I want.

It's so ironic how every time I say it's going to be a short post or that I claim to have nothing to talk about, those end up being some of my longest posts.

Anyway, it's about time for class to end and I have to go to class and enjoy the beautiful weather so I'll see you all tomorrow!

-Jake

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author

This Is Going To Be A Really Short Post With A Really Long Title Cuz That's Irony Isn't It?

Buenas dias!

I'm getting worse and worse at this...but I still haven't failed yet! The plus side is, I don't have much of anything to report so you're not missing out on anything. I didn't really do anything special for my birthday yesterday and the only real important thing that happened is I realize I forgot about and missed my lab on Monday...oops.

Well, I'm off to take a Drugs and Behavior test...wish me luck!

-Jake

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author

Happy Birthday To You

Man...I'm gettin' later with my posts every day. My bad...I promise they will keep coming though!
(PS. You may wonder why I keep promising updates to a blog that get a fairly small amount of traffic...it's a psychological thing. If you say something or make a public announcement of something, even to one other person, the chances of you following through are much greater and this is something I want to continue to do, so I keep myself accountable in any way I can!)

News, news, news...First thing on the agenda, because it's going to be the most prevalent today, is that today is my birthday! Whoo hoo! Alright, that's enough celebrating. You see, I'm beginning to like it more, but my birthday has never really been all that special to me. The time I get to spend with family because of it is great, and who doesn't like receiving gifts? But to me, my birthday is, for the most part, just another day. I probably won't do anything special tonight, especially since I have a test tomorrow morning, but I'm perfectly fine with keeping things laid back and chill. Maybe it's just me, but a huge elaborate party isn't necessary...I went to the casino for my 18th and that was awesome, I'll go to the bar for my 21st and have a couple drinks, but this wild and crazy stuff just ain't my style.

What else...somewhat busy week ahead...test tomorrow, some problems and a mini-essay due Thursday, and a quiz on Friday. Nothin' big, but it's stuff that needs to be taken care of.

Well, I thought I had more news than that...I guess not. I'll see if I can't find something to post later...I found that StumbleUpon has a great Psychology section...maybe you'll see something from there! See you tomorrow!

-Jacob

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author

The Secrets of Time

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author

PS. If this is Austin....

Hola!

I'm lazy today so you may be disappointed yet again.  I'll get over this laziness thing soon enough and have some quality stuff, I'm sure!

Anyway, I had a great week, even if I did neglect all of you, who are oh-so-important to me!  I mentioned we went to Outback Steakhouse on Friday night and it was DELICIOUS, even if I have a tendency to over-stuff myself...oops.  After dinner, we went to visit my grandparents for a while.  Then my parents and I spent most of Saturday at an outlet mall looking for birthday gifts for me since no one had ANY gift ideas, including me.  I got a really nice Columbia spring jacket, a chromatic guitar tuner, and an arm strap for my iPod since I kind of have a problem carrying it when I'm working out.  Sunday was the busiest day of all, with a workout at 0800, church at 1000, brunch at 1115, and then I still had to get a hair cut, beard trim, and pack, all before we could leave to bring me back to DSM.

We made it back alright though and, after some dinner at the Drake Diner, we headed back to my dorm where I spent a pretty relaxing night just hanging out, watching the Grammys.  Back to the boring ol' college life, I guess.

I'm getting horribly distracted so I think that means I don't have anything else on my mind.  See y'all tomorrow!

-Jake

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author

Back to the Grind

Hey peeps,

Yet another short, slacker-style post, but I'm tired from traveling and packing and all that...it's been a busy day.  Up at 0700, went to Lifetime, then church, brunch, packing, a haircut and beard trim, trip to Best Buy, 3.5 hours south and now I'm FINALLY back to school.  Not that I wanted to come back per se, but all the stuff this morning kind of stretched out the inevitable which makes it that much harder.

Anyway, this post was mostly to let you guys know that I am, indeed, still alive and well and that I made it back safely! Hopefully things will return to their regularly scheduled programming tomorrow morning.

-Jake

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author

Home Again, Home Again

Hey everyone, I haven't forgotten about you.  Like I mentioned, things are a little different when I'm home.  I doubt I'll get my post in tomorrow morning either.  Just wanted to let you know that I arrived home safely, had a wonderful dinner at Outback Steakhouse, went to see my grandparents, and now do some home-life related things.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

-Jake

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author

Well I'm Going Home, Back To The Place Where I Belong...

Hola!
How's everyone doin' today?
Good?
Good.

Day 6...this early morning stuff may kill me.  I'm still tired and the only reason I think I'm up right now is out of excitement to go home which is connected to my imminent need to wash my dishes and clean my room, at least a little, before my mom gets here.  Can't have her thinkin' my life has fallen apart without her, can I?  Which brings me to my next point.....

I'M GOING HOME TODAY!  You guys are probably like, "what's the big deal?  I barely get along with my parents and you've been at school for like a month."  You're absolutely right.  Difference between me and you?  I enjoy spending time with my family. (And I really really really need my own quiet room and some home cooked food!)

What else to mention....hmm....well, while I'm at home, I hope to keep up all the habits I'm trying to build, but I'm not sure how well that will go...which may unfortunately mean that I miss updating you guys for a day or two.  Don't worry though!  I haven't died!  Just means I've gotten busy with family and home things.  I haven't forgotten about you, I just don't have time for you. ;)

Well, that's all folks!  The next time you hear from me will (probably) be from (hopefully) balmy Minnesota!

-Jake

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
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ERC - Day 5

Wow! Sorry I'm so late today!  Yet another rough day...but I met the 5-day Early Riser Challenge! Despite not getting out of bed until 0800, I was awake at 0700 sharp.  The downside, as I've mentioned before, is that I still have 25 days of this left before my body gets used to it.  Hopefully things get easier, and not harder as they have been.

I'm not sure I have a lot to talk about today...I figured out last night that I'm burning myself out by writing to you guys, writing 750 words right after that, and then writing a page a day at night.  Because I like talking to you guys and I like the format of 750 words, I think I'm gonna stick to those two and give up page per day for a little bit.  If I find I have a lot to say, maybe I'll start doing all three again.

Side note: it's difficult to write to you guys while I'm in class...my professor's voice is kind of distracting, even if I'm not paying any attention to him at all.

Finally...home. Don't know if I've mentioned it lately, but I'm going home tomorrow!  I'll be meeting my mother and heading out in approximately 26 hours...thankfully.  I need a break.  Love my roommates and all, but I need some solitary time, as well as my own bedroom for a couple days.  For some reason, though, every time I go home, it seems like I have to prove myself.  I always have a test or big project or paper or some group thing that I don't wanna do before I get to go home.  This time, I have a bitch of a BLAW test later today and I had an essay due on Sunday which I had to discuss in a workshop on Tuesday.  Always proving myself...the paper and workshop went alright, we'll pray for this BLAW test...

Anyway...I'm done rambling.  Short post with a cloudy mind...hopefully that all made sense again.  Off to write 750 words and pretend to listen to this lecture.

-J

© 2007-2011 Jacob Tauer
This information is not to be used in any form, online or off, without the express permission of the author