[Mayer 12]-6-2008

Got this in the mail today:



For this:



It's not the best seat in the house, but it's dead-center, about half-way back. I'm hella-stoked. It'll be my first time in California AND my first time seeing Mayer SOLO-ACOUSTIC.

It's gonna be a quick trip, starting with an early flight the day of the show. I'll get to LA early-afternoon and head to my hotel, which will be near the Nokia Theater. Then, it's SHOWTIME, followed by a Sunday of exploring in the city. Should be a good time. Definitely saved up for a while to get this, but hey, it's for charity...

Drew

41-10?! Whaaaaat?!

Before yesterday, UNC had three losses by a total of eight points. After the Wolfpack came to town, they had one more. Oh, and it was by 31.

I woke up early Saturday morning to make the hour-long drive to Chapel Hill with my dad. I was excited, because no matter how good or bad either team is, there's always a lot of emotion behind the State/UNC football game. We won by holding them off at the very end last year, and I had a feeling that this year would be a close game, no matter which team ended up with the victory.

My prediction was right at first. It was 10-3 at halftime as my dad and I looked on, bearing the freezing cold. We had the lead, but the way things have gone all season, we knew it didn't mean anything.

The third quarter brought it to 17-10, and while State was still winning, Carolina looked good on their most recent scoring drive. After they brought it back, State scored again right before the fourth quarter to take the lead to 24-10.

At this point, I looked at my dad and said, "Dang, I wish it was the fourth quarter." A few minutes later, I sat back easy, because State scored again. Then there was a field goal. Annnnnnnnnd they scored again.

Now, I'm looking for a word to describe this situation. The first one that comes to my mind is "rout". Yeah.

I was laughing in disbelief at the game and the score, because literally EVERY ball went State's way. We forced 6 turnovers. SIX! And QB Russel Wilson had the game of his life, running and passing all over the field. Dad and I were respectful, of course, but we were also in shock.

The best moment of my afternoon came when the UNC fans had mostly cleared out of the stadium and there were really only NC State fans left. The corners of the stands were red, and all you could hear was "WOLF!"..."PACK!". There's really nothing like hearing YOUR team AT the rival's house screaming celebrations of victory. You gotta love it.



So, while UNC is bowl eligible and we still have to win next week to have the possibility of a postseason game, we're still the STATE CHAMPIONS. Here are a few scores:

NC STATE 30, ECU 24
NC STATE 27, DUKE 17
NC STATE 21, WAKE 17
NC STATE 41, UNC 10

Yeah, yeah, our season could be over after next weekend, and it could go on for another game. Either way, we swept the state of North Carolina, and THAT feels good.

Go Wolfpack.
Drew.

The name's Carmichael. Charles Carmichael.

Love this show, and the intro. Bounce with the music when you watch it. I know I do.

Off to Chapel Hill for the NC STATE game. More later. For sure.

Drew

Snow way!

Went to bed to falling snow. Woke up to this:



Now, it's not much, but it's always cool to wake up to a little snow on the ground. And in NOVEMBER?! Awesome. You gotta love snow. It's peaceful, clean, and it seems to always bring some kind of inner-childhood excitement. Around here, I've never heard anyone grumble at the sight of falling snow. It makes things brighter by day AND night, and it steals the attention given to problems and worries for a while to take you to a place where things are better. Unlike cold rain, which falls and absorbs into your clothes, snow is easily brushed off and enjoyed by everybody.

Like I said, you've gotta love snow. I'm hoping it's a sign of a good winter ahead of us.

Drew

The Dark Tower

This post is gonna make me sound like the huge nerd that I am, but whatever. As a lot of you know, I'm a huge Stephen King fan. I've read several of his novels, and for the last three months, I've really been into his "Dark Tower" series. It's a collection of seven books that he wrote over a period of almost 30 years, so it's quite a read.

The cool thing is that he incorporates worlds and characters from his other stories, so that they either have roles or are referenced in different points throughout the seven books. While the gunslinger Roland and his friends travel, King also throws in objects from pop culture, like the song "Hey Jude" by the Beatles, as well as several references to Star Wars, Harry Potter, and comic books. These references are great, because I've read enough King and seen enough movies to kind of freak out a little every time he drops one in the plot. It's pretty much amazing.

I'm currently reading the seventh and final novel of the series, "The Dark Tower". It's the longest one yet, weighing in at over 1,000 pages, and it's taking me longer than the rest as well, because, like the characters on their journey, it's as if the book itself has become my tower to overcome.

There's not much more reading, and once I'm done, I'm not exactly sure what I'm gonna work on next, but I've grown attached to the characters of these novels like never before. It's kinda funny, because I've even gotten to the point of thinking about them as I go through my daily routine, and even trying to think about what they would do in certain situations I get into. Weird, right?

Anyway, I'm almost done, and as I approach the Tower in the final novel, I've really been thinking about what "Tower" lies ahead of me in the near future. We're always pursuing something, right? Girls, fitness, jobs, etc. For me right now, I know that my "Tower" deals with getting a resume together and finally applying to jobs on my career path. It's always on the back of the mind, but for me, it's proven to be a difficult task. But hey, if Roland and his crew can reach the Tower in the books, then I'm sure I can get through the field of roses and get to my own...

Here we go.

Drew

"Is it me, or does it smell like updawg in here?"

"What's updawg?"
"Nothin' much, what's up with you?"

Hahaaaaaa, wooooo.

Chill night tonight, in more ways than one.

It's officially the coldest night since the early part of the year, and the steam heaters of our old house are clanking and hissing away to keep it warm. It's crazy, because they seem to warm the back half of the house about twice as much as they warm the front. I'm in the latter part now, and I'm kind of cold, but I know that I'll wake up in my room in the middle of the night bathed in sweat because it seems like my unit does the most work (That's what she said? Haha, sorry). Anyone who has ever stayed in my room knows exactly what I'm talking about. I like to blame my excessive perspiration on growing up in the hottest room of the house. I can't wear gray anymore, so, thanks heater.

Anyway, it's a random Tuesday night and I'm sitting here flipping between watching Davidson play basketball and reruns of "The Office" on TBS. Being mid-November, it's only the beginning of college basketball, but it gets me excited about the coming months. The weeks ahead will bring the first good games of the season as well as the holidays, which means tradition, family, food, and good times. Gotta love this time of year.

Three shifts of work until the weekend, which means NC State vs UNC in football and seven days until I see my sister again. Can't wait.

Drew.

A list.

Things I want:

Clarity.


Peace.


Another Cinderella Story.




Things I need:

DIRECTION.


Time to slow down.


Things I miss:

My Explorer.


Frontier Ranch.



EVERYBODY WHO LIVED IN OWEN HALL FROM 2003-2004 (plus a few others...)


DS