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It's summertime again and that means freezie pops. Okay- freezie pops are an all year commodity, but the only true time to enjoy them is in the 90+ degree heat. When that cold ice hits your mouth it feels like relief. Relief from the heat and relief from whatever else is bothering you. The hot air melts the ice and allows for easy access of the popsicle. You can not just chew on the ice; instead, the ice must melt in your mouth unlocking the flavor from the pop (cherry, raspberry, lemon, pineapple, green, pink...). By far the best part of the experience is the melted juice at the end after the ice has melted. The concentrated artificial flavoring is still ice cold and as refreshing as ever. There could be no better ending to a delicious freezie pop than a gulp of liquid perfection. What is the price for this small piece of joy? About 5 cents a pop! I doubt you can find a better bang for your buck for summertime bliss.

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My mother has been running our church's blood drive for the past several years. Every year she asks me to give blood, but I refused to donate because of my running. This year I could not say no to my mother's request. I drove down to Virginia Beach and signed up for a time slot. I got to wait in line for an hour while I kept getting more and more nervous. My whole family was there to support me- even my father was checking on me as he donated two times what I did. Giving blood was not a problem. My nervousness was misplaced. I will have to donate blood more often from now on. I may never catch up to one of the men at the blood drive who has given 11 gallons of blood (88 pints). If I gave one pint of blood every 8 weeks it would take me 13.5 years (that would be overdoing it I think). I hope to at least donate twice a year if I am able.

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My sister, Katie, has a wonderful blog where she talks plenty about the sun and summertime. I too enjoy the summer heat. Today we went to college creek and played some Frisbee. It was a good time for everyone until the fuzz came. The state ranger came and started checking every cooler for alcoholic beverages. We did not have anything of that sort, but the other police action did affect us. They started towing illegally parked vehicles. One individual in our group was the first to get towed. After a nice ride in the truck and a $150 ticket, she got her car back. The towing ended the fun and it kept me from getting to sun burnt. I hope you got to enjoy your Memorial Day as well. Have a great week.

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I ran my first race in a while this morning. It went about as expected for a week and a half of training. My thought going in was to be happy with anything under 34 minutes. I ran about 34:20. I am definitely not happy with the outcome. These next few weeks will be a lot of fun trying to catch up on my fitness. I need someone to keep me on a schedule and shooting for a real goal. Anyone up for the challenge? No experience necessary. Payment in pie and appreciation.

I hope to get back into this kind of shape.

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Sometimes I can really be a mean teacher. I don't allow any nonsense and kids mostly listen. Sometimes I can lighten up a bit and allow a little bit of fun. I am learning slowly when the two strategies work. Kids also know-- actually they know better. There is something scary about that.

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Today Amber, Tyson, and I had a nice cookout. You could say it was in celebration of Amber completing the MCAT or you could say it was to enjoy some good food. Tyson and I will be doing a lot of cooking together this summer and I look forward to some delicious food. We will have to do some experimentation in the kitchen. I can expand my baking skills with a few new pies.

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Amber and I took a break this afternoon to play some Frisbee Golf. It turns out that practice makes a big difference in playing this game. Amber is used to trowing a Frisbee to someone, but Frisbee golf (frolf) demands a completely different approach. My game is still improving after only a few months of practice. By practice I am speaking of the few times that I have thrown the Frisbee in the direction of a target either on campus or out at New Quarter Park. Sometime this summer I will have to play down at Newport News State Park. I used to run regionals for cross country around the course, and now I will have to use the park for one of its intended purposes.

Find some way to enjoy the weather this week. Start something new for the summertime.

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This evening was another great episode of Glee. Yes, I'm a Gleek and tonight I was very pleased by the subjects addressed. The theme for the week at school was Lady Gaga. As you can imagine, this lead to a penetrating discussion on homosexuality. I was impressed by the use language to highlight a real issue in our society. The writers were not afraid to push the boundaries of everyday SitCom world.

After a wonderful hour of television, I was pleased to have the hens over for an hour of lively discussion. The hens are slowly leaving the 'burg for bigger and better things. Skeeter, Tyson, Amber, and I had a good time with this eclectic group of ladies. Their personalities work with everyone I know and it has been a lot of fun hanging out with them this year.

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It's time to start up the old Blog again. My life is at a turning point and I want to document all of my failures and triumphs from here on out. Okay, more failures than triumphs. I hope you will enjoy my stories. Mostly, I hope they help me get out of the hole I'm in now.

For today:

I stumbled upon the Hulu page for Doogie Howser M.D. yesterday. This show portrays a young Neil Patrick Harris as a 16 year-old doctor with unbelievable brainpower and social skills. I think that Doogie could solve all of my problems from my stress fractures to my lack of motivation at times. This show has everything I like in a television program-- witty humor, intelligent dialogue, 90's computer typing...

Doogie teaches me and he will teach you too!

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In a way I am going to miss living in my current house next year. My life will be simplified, but at what cost. My friends will probably be scattered throughout the country and I will have to find new people to have intellectual discussions with. Okay, maybe not always intellectual. Where will I find the folks in this world who will listen to my rambling and then actually respond to it? I won't get harassed when I cook bacon or even when I open the mail. I look forward to living in peace and cleanliness. Those reasons will outweigh my need for companionship. Right? Or will I be on the phone with my old running buddies just to remember the old times? I try not to dwell in the past or bother people that have more important thing to do than talk with a babbling fool. Next year will be exciting for many a reasons. Leaving this house with the bond I have to it and its inhabitants is not one of those reasons. It has been nice 304.