Come On Down...

This past weekend there was the All Points West Festival that was held in Liberty State Park in North Jersey. Season went with some friends on Sunday since ("You know how I know your gay?) Coldplay and a bunch of other bands were playing. Her one friend, Brian Wolff, also happened to on Friday night. He posted a video of Vampire Weekend performing "Walcott" from that show.

Now I've heard this song before since it's on the IPod...but I've never really listened to the lyrics or anything like that. For example, I didn't realize it was about somebody getting out of Cape Cod and coming down to Jersey. So then I looked up the lyrics and was drawn to the following:

Walcott

All the way to

New Jersey

All the way to

The Garden State

Out of Cape Cod tonight

Walcott

Fuck the women

From Wellfleet

Fuck the bears out

In Provincetown

Out of Cape Cod Tonight

Why it made me think I really don't know. Now I just can't help but feel that I get a text every week or two from somebody up in New England telling me to make my way up. Trust me, I would love to get there more often. And, in fact, I do get up there several times a year. But the real question that this song brings up in me is "Why doesn't anybody come on down?" Season and I have a house that we've been living in since the beginning of the year and besides the locals nobody has come to see it.

Therefore, this is a challenge to anybody from far away lands. If you want to come down to Jersey and want to spend a night...a weekend...a month...whatever. Let me know! We have the Shore! We have Six Flags Great Adventure! We're 45 minutes from Philly and an hour and fifteen minutes from New York!

If the only excuse you can come up with is "it's too far" then shame on you. I make it a habit of getting up there two or three times a year...and that's been going on since I left so I guess we're starting on year seven now. In those seven years...how many times have you visited me?

Thank you...and good day...

A Horrible Realization

This past week I started the second session of the Summer Semester at Mercer County Community College. My math class started last Thursday and so far so good. Seems like stuff I should be able to handle and it's being taught by a 60+ year old female. So far it pretty much goes hand in hand with my prior education.

Today I started my Sociology class. The class itself seems fine. But, I noticed two things that really stood out to me...and where I am in my life. The first had to do with the professor. She was telling us about how she got her B.A. at UMass Amherst (or Lowell...or Boston...or one of those places), her Masters at Arizona, and she's currently going for her PhD at NYU. That's all fine and dandy...but from what I could tell she was probably in her early 30s.

Which leads me to my next point. It's a Sociology class...so the 40 of us, at one point, had to explain a little about who we are. Several explained that they were a month or so out of high school. And while I'm far from the oldest one in the class, with the professor only a few years older than me and most of my peers definitely younger than me...I can definitely feel my self worth going down. I'm not saying I should be going for my PhD or even my Masters...but I should definitely be more established than I am. Especially when surrounded by those barely 18.

It's moments like this that I reflect on all of the opportunities I have passed up. First of all was my education. If I kept my head above water I would have received a bachelor's degree five years ago. Not only that, but I also would have extended my goalie career by two years and would have hopefully led the team to at least one win over St. A's in that time.

Basically what it comes down to is this. I would never trade where I am in my personal life. I love Season. I love this house. I love my friends. I love my family. I love our pets. But educationally/professionally I've really screwed up in my life. Now's my time to rectify that.

And on that note, I would like to let everyone know that I got my grades back for the first session. I received at A in Public Speaking and a B+ in US History (Post Civil War - The Present). I will say this about US History........I had the highest grade on every quiz and exam up until the final exam. And prior to that final I was the only one with a B, so I would really hate to see how everyone else did.

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack...

Well well well...look who's back. I promise, I'm going to try to semi-regularly update this thing. So without further adieu, let's take a look back over the past few months to see what's new (and exciting?) in the life of one Mr. Brian Holland.

After a month of hassle, Season and I bought a house in Ewing, New Jersey!

Then a few months later I took a high stick to the face and chipped a tooth.

Luckily I got it fixed while I still had dental insurance...because Sallie Mae would move from Mt. Laurel, NJ to Delaware...and in the process I would get laid off. That would pretty much coincide with Season & I getting a puppy...who we named Pepper (it's a current picture, she's almost 6 months old).

Keeping tabs on her has been a full time job. Luckily now that I'm on Unemployment the State of New Jersey will pay for four classes per semester. So beginning in late May I've been back in school. Here are three video clips I used in my presentation on how to remove concussions from the NHL.

While working on another presentation I came outside to find the windshield on my passenger's side smashed thanks to a fallen limb.

And most recently Season and I celebrated two years of dating.

That's pretty much the jist of it. There have been other significant events in between (weddings, barbecues, the invention of Shotzee), but from here on out they'll (hopefully) be updated on here. Until next time...