The Shape That I am In

Life's a ball these days. No worries, like Bobby McFerrin. Well, there are always worries, but none that are giving me aches and pains. I've taken the LSAT, and the anticipation of my score arriving has given me headaches from time to time, and I mean this quite literally, so I guess we can disregard much of what's just been written. I don't feel like erasing it, and my writing here can be perceived as a conscious stream of thought, albeit in the most Un-Kerouac way you will find. I'm also not on drugs.

Tangents aside!

I feel liberated after having taken this exam. I've been preparing off and on since April, after mounting a spectacular debt on one of my two credit cards for a Kaplan study course. Can one really justify paying $1400 for a few paperback textbooks and 14 class sessions? Normally I would say yes, but only for an accredited course. However, if my score comes out as I want it to, I'll be shouting Kaplan's name in praise from atop the Sears Tower!

Everyone had been asking me, "what are you doing when it's over?" or "Dude, how blacked out are you going to get?" as if there are cognizant variable levels prescribed to this condition. I have only shared my post-test efforts with a few people, and here's what I did. I went directly to a specialty spice store, and bought 1lb. of pink curing salt, also known as Prague Powder #1. After this I shopped for some records, and bought an original VG+ LP of New Order's "Reel Life" featuring Love Vigilantes, a great song. Next, I went to a butcher in my neighborhood and purchased 3.5 lbs. of pork belly, and I went home, and created a dry cure so I can make bacon. It's all very exciting, and the belly is about 3 days from smoking. I met up with Nora as my girl and I bike-shopped our way around Chicago, having one of the best days we've had in a long time; and it's all because I am stress-free, and now, a great obstacle has been closed out, and I can stop worrying about actually taking the test and preparing. A worry over my score has incurred, but I'm reminded that there's really nothing I can do about it now. So, move forward, I say. Nora has helped me with this, and I owe her so much.

I wish I could say that I feel the seasons changing, and despite what new fall colors Banana Republic has introduced (could this be burnt orange's year?!), I am not feeling it. This 80-something degree weather with July levels of humidity is absurd. It's October, Football season is in full-swing, and the MLB playoffs have begun. Where is my October? Doesn't that sound like it ought to be a collaboration between Green Day and Pink? The Fall is great not only because Brad Pitt stars in a movie mentioning it in the title, but because it's a reminder of some of my favorite times in life. I love the crisp air, leaves falling, the comfort of sweaters, flannel, and excuses to curl up and watch movies or football games. When the hell else can flannel be as cool as it is in the Fall? That's really it's time to shine. I like a good beer during the Fall, too. I notice that my music preference changes too, as I listen to more string-oriented music, yet I think this is common. My earliest memory of the fall dates to a trip to Dartmouth for a football game in which my dad was coaching. A beautiful campus, enchanting scenery, an indescribable view of the foliage, a fun college town, and a football game are all the roots of why I love the fall so much. The trip to Hanover with my family left such an impression on me, and my idea of fall has been shaped upon this very visit. Fall, I await your arrival.

Great things that happened today:
I woke up with Genesis songs in my head, after receiving free tickets to the show last night (thank you TJ)
I realized that I'm going to see Phil Lesh, Jackie Greene, and co. tonight
It's my dad's birthday
I found this article on my record player:
http://www.antiqueradio.com/Mar06_Hayden_Kloss.html
My parents are happy

I'm happy, and my world is also. This is the shape that I'm in, and it's good. I'll write soon after my bacon has cured.