Today I had a very different night out than I am used to...it felt "grown-up" in a good 20-something way. A perfect start to my 24th year...or is it 25th?

I am twenty-four today... :)

Nap

Today, while watching the Simpsons, I began to wonder... where will I be a year from now? 5 years from now? 10? 25? The episode was about a documentary started about homer and other various springfield kids when they were 8 years old. The interviewer checked back with them every eight years to document how their lives progressed.

I don't even know how to begin to answer that, because I don't know what I want... or even know how to start figuring it out. This disturbs me and is currently causing me great stress,which in turn puts unnecessary strain on every relationship in my life, which in turn makes me rethink the roles I am in, which makes me ask myself: am I happy with my decisions now? will I be happy with them later? or am I ruining my life as well as the lives of those closest to me by not actively seeking whatever it is I should be seeking...?

Way too deep.... maybe I'll just go take a nap. ;)

Duet

According to: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/duet

" du·et (dōō-ět', dyōō-)

n.

1. Music

   1. A composition for two voices or two instruments.

   2. A group of two singers or two instrumentalists.

2. A pair. "

My original plan was not to update until after Michael did. This was "our" blog and I wanted to see it remain that way. However....just a bit over two months later I am still alone.

I'll give a short update now, and then will continue regularly from now on.

I GOT A JOB!!!!

Whoo-hoo, its true! This happened just after my last post. I got an apt and Izzy and I moved away from home to start a real "adult life." I love it.... I think.

We have all heard of dads having sympathy pains when moms are pregnant, but it doesn't end there... everyone has that friend that watches some medical show and shortly after develops similar symptoms...

For me, this idea is getting out of hand. I'm a big believer in mind of matter in most situations, but there are some instances where I couldn't shake the sympathy pains... like this week.

Mike has been cleared to play sports! Yay! and after his first ultimate frisbee game back, he had a sore knee...to be expected... but why did I have one?! Most of the time, my bad knees are just fine...but a few times a year movement is near impossible. I blamed coincidence and moved on. Then Mike became sick with a sore throat, congestion, coughing, malaise....etc. I developed a scratchy throat, and icky feeling two days later. This would be normal... if we were within three hours of one another!! and it never became full blown sickness. Today he feels better and I start to feel better too....Am I crazy?!

Despite the fact that the day before my knee acted up I pushed myself hard in the gym, which could account for the pain, and the flu/cold has been going around my circle of contact for a month now, which could account for the slight illness, some things are just weird...

and I think I know why....Mirror Neurons! Yes, Mirror Neurons! They exist! I am not crazy!!!

the flavor of in-between

The last week or so has been the most busy uneventful week of the summer. Let me explain. I've been home since early May, after Lauren and I graduated from Illinois State University (go redbirds / gnomes). Cue the summer after graduation, the unpredictable and boring time that passes wondering when Mr. Corporation will give you that first job. You see, this is exactly the flavor of all the mostly uneventful time between May and now. It sucks. You send applications, wait, and repeat. Not just a couple applications, hundreds, while also struggling with the idea that you now live at home. This is not, however, the only thing occupying my time. Since Last October I have been illustrating pictures for a children's book written by Chris Karver. I was fortunate enough to beat out something like 45 other artists (although I believe only about 10 of which actually had any training or experience). Anyway, this has been my creative burden for the past year, and I've just surpassed half of the 55 pictures I'm slotted to finish. This is the weight of the world, and I'm Atlas. Something else to consider, in February I tore my ACL playing Ultimate Frisbee for the Illinois State Gnomes. It was the worst pain I've ever felt, besides when I smashed my finger in between two dumbells my sophomore year of high school; I get to tell people I had plastic surgeons put my finger back together . I've never had such a lengthy injury, so I had to buckle down and work for 6 months to recover fully from it while missing the last half of my senior season. Also sucks (no sympathy needed, my mom fed me 3 meals a day for the first week I was recovering). The point of all of this is to paint a picture of where I'm at now, partially working, with no real job, and freshly off a 6 month rehab guantlet. I played Ultimate again for the first time Sunday, and today feel like a 90 year old man because I can't walk. I finished one picture this week for the book and haven't done much else, except watched an occasional AMC movie. I'm ready to play competitive Ultimate again, and hope to get on a team for the spring season. I'm ready to finish this book and do a couple small book tours throughout Illinois; maybe you'll see me at your local Barnes & Noble. I'm ready to get a job, and have someone pay me to be creative, check out my work at maloneymotion.com, it won't bite. This is the time in-between college and working for the rest of your life. This is that dreaded lull in action, the race to see if you can secure a job and move out of your parent's place before you even get settled in. I'm settled in but will do anything to get out of here. Although I don't mind getting a couple hot meals a day from my mom.

more posts on Ultimate, artwork, post-collegeness, and life (not the cereal), to come

~mike

Got a puppy!

...and by puppy I mean dog....and by dog I mean a 12 year old Shetland sheepdog! So, I have been really bummed about this summer being so unproductive and monotonous (see below) but a 14 pound sheltie has broken the boredom cycle! :) I have been looking around at local shelters for a dog for about a month now. My mom finally agreed to a dog now that I am 23 (my brother and I begged as children for any pet) but thats ok, I'll take it. Her rules about a dog were as follows: 10 pounds and if she falls in love with it, I have to leave it at home when I move out. In essence, I was picking out a dog for her, taking care of getting in acclimated to our cat, and responsible for its well being until further notice ...which is fine with me, I just wanted one and now was the perfect time: No job = lots of time.

Mike and I spent last week searching the internet and visiting my local shelter. When we found a dog everyone liked, he was not ready to be adopted. He had just come in and would be available in two days. The staff told us to come back if we wanted to adopt him. We went back, but since another family was interested in him they decided to interview us and then choose. We had our interview first then they let us play with him. I was not too attached to this dog (I didn't get to pet him the first time or anything, we just saw him through bars) but after we took him out and found out how friendly he was, I definitely wanted to take him home Unfortunately when we came back in, they told us they had chosen the other family....while I was still holding him! I was crushed and poor Mike had to try and remind me that there are plenty of dogs that need homes and we will find one that needs us. It was still sad for me.

Then on Sunday my mother and I went to another shelter to look. When we walked in, there were two lines: One full of people filling out adoption forms and one full of people giving up their pets. In the middle of all the dogs, cats and ferrets was this little Lassie- looking dog. My mom loved her, even though she was a bit bigger then she wanted (she was 14 lbs) we couldn't leave her there. We were able to take her right home! We did look at the animals in the back and it was so sad and scary there....If you are looking for a dog GO TO YOUR LOCAL SHELTER :) There are many lovable pets just waiting for a home.

Izzy is my new dogs name. Izzy sits. Izzy stays. Izzy shakes paws/hands. Izzy doesn't bark.

I love my Izzy. <3>

Bottom line....Doing something constructive while waiting in between graduation and starting work is a good thing!

www.petfinder.com ----> You can find a new friend here :)

~L