July!

June just flew by, yet was pretty good. I went to NYC three weeks in a row, for family and fun. I got to see a number of friends and acquaintances, and even made a new one or two. Next up... July.

First, this weekend is a holiday(monday) weekend. Which means many opportunities to hang out with friends and enjoy life.

Second, my younger brother(17) will be coming down next week to stay with me, for a few weeks until he starts college. This will be very different and interesting. I'll have to figure out how to be a locally available, full-time, older brother. Will talk more about that later.

Third, next weekend includes my birthday, among a few other friends. So finding the balance of what I want to do, and who else is already planning/doing other stuff will be a chore. And the fact that my brother is here, will just be one long puzzle. So we'll see how it all fits together.

Fourth, this class has a few bigger things due in the upcoming weeks, so I should ensure that enough time/effort is invested into that direction.

Fifth, two weekends away there is a beach trip planned. Haven't been to the beach yet this summer, so I'm looking forward to that.

Sixth, the racquetball league is officially starting, and theres 20+ people signed up. I'll be getting my own ID to get into the gym instead of relying on other people's guest passes. Which also means I can play at more random times.

Seventh, three weekends away includes two friends birthdays and they'll probably be doing something, so that is another thing for the calendar.

Eighth, my uncle's, who lives in Ohio, church has a men's retreat and he wants me and my brothers to come. So that's another weekend down, travel and family time.

Wow, when I look at it like that it seems like even more. But this is what summer is all about, enjoying life, birthdays-especially my own, and everything else. With proper planning, sleep, and better productive use of time... I just might able to make it through!

Communication

Its the food, water, driving force of all relationships. Without it, relationships die. Sometimes when taken the wrong way things suffer. In one of my previous posts, I mentioned the fact that we take after our parents in ways we may not even realize. So as I look at my life in its current state, and the people around this is an ever-present very consistent aspect. I looked at my relationship with my dad, and it doesn't really exist. We don't talk really. Not for any real reason either. We just never did, and we both continue along that path. With my mom, it was similar situation, and near the end her memories were fading so it was even more complicated. So that leaves my brothers and grandmother as close family. I look at how I relate with them and its similar to that of my parents. I share what is going on in my life, on paper: Work, school, new purchases, failed road tests. But not much more. These blogs, which family never see, can get pretty personal and I touch on things that I almost never bring up in person/conversation. These blogs are my way to counter the usual potentially non-deep conversations. But things are gonna change soon, and I guess that change will start within.

#part1 #tobecontinued