"Times are hard..."

"Times are hard."

Seems like that's all you hear these days, huh? I mean, if I had a DIME for everytime I've heard that since I graduated a year ago, I wouldn't even NEED a job. I'd be good to go.

But anyway, just because times are HARD doesn't mean you can't have FUN in the meantime, am I right? OK, a lotta people are getting laid off. OK, I don't have a salary or insurance as a waiter. OK, the economy is continually getting it's ass kicked. That's whatever. Times change, they go up and down, it's a rollercoaster, and so many other cliches from the book (whatever book that may be).

Go out and have FUN. Embrace your situation, don't sulk. I've tried that, and it sucks. It's easy to get down on yourself these days. But there's really nothing that can be done about it. Ride it out, and when it's better, you'll be fine. You're PROBABLY fine now. I know I'M fine now. Writing it out definitely helps, but think how well you'll have it when things get better! If you're doing OK now, imagine how you'll be when you're riding high!

I've been lucky enough to spend most of the last week and a half with my family and my girlfriend at the beach. The time I've spent down here has allowed me to catch up with myself and to BREATHE again. It really is tough to remember how to BREATHE sometimes. Frontier in CO has reminded me of this the last two years, but not going back this year, the beach has done it.

Jobs will come back out in the future. I have a feeling it will be sooner rather than later, even though that seems like forever from now for those of us who aren't part of a real company or covered with insurance. But in the meantime, smile with what you've got. If you've got a good family, realize it. If you've got a great girl/boy/companion/spouse/friend/whatever, be thankful. I'm lucky on the family/girlfriend aspect of things now, and I couldn't be happier. The rest will come down the road, but until then, I'm gonna keep kickin' it.

It's definitely easy to get down, but when "Times are hard", take those effin' lemons and make some friggin' LEMONADE...because it's summertime now, and who DOESN'T like lemonade in the summer?

Drew

Sprinting in the Streetlights.

Had another "good to be here" moment earlier. (No worries. I have these all the time, but some stand out more than others.) I think they're starting to string together because there's some kind of unspoken correlation between summertime and feeling good about life.

Tonight's moment happened while I was walking Amanda's dogs with her, and we walked under a bright streetlight. The lighting was almost indigo, and the mica grains in the street sparkled as we passed the illuminated area. Walking through, I had almost a flashback to being a kid and SPRINTING at night. I don't know about you, but I ALWAYS felt faster at night than during the day. I know it had to be an illusion in my head, but the combination of artificial lighting and the purple/blue tint it creates makes things look like they're moving faster than they really are. I remember looking down at my legs as a kid while I'd run under these lights and they'd be a blur of color with red Chucks blaring at the ends. Felt like the Flash in those days.

Anyway, nothing like a little nostalgia on a summer night, eh? Hope your summers are treating you well so far, and if you get a chance, sprint under a streetlight sometime this week.

D.

Lucky Man.

Just had one of those "dang, I'm glad to be here" moments in my car. Weird when they happen, right? It's 2:11 in the morning and it finally stopped raining and it's cool out. The stoplights and streetlights were reflecting green and red in the puddles on the way home, and things feel RIGHT. I like it.

I watched the movie "Henry Poole is Here" tonight with Amanda, and it was AMAZING. Without giving anything away, it's basically about finding the faith that things will work out and embracing LIFE and all of its ups and downs. It's also about a SECOND CHANCE, which those of you who know me KNOW that things like that are important to me. Definitely check the movie out if you get a chance.

Also, watching it really did remind me that I AM lucky with my life right now. Bad weather and crazy work experiences should never bring me down. Nope. I have a job, I've got a great girl, and I'm thankful for the support of my family and friends. Things feel GOOD.

The little "moment" I mentioned above happened on my way home from dropping Amanda off at her house. I blasted "Lucky Man" by the Verve in the car, and saying goodnight to her with the combination of cool air and good music woke me up and sent me straight here to write.

Others on the road may have thought I was crazy, or that I shouldn't have been driving, but no one was really around to witness me feeling this way. My hand was out the window and I was letting it flow up and down in the wind. My favorite part of this is always when I let my fingers bend up enough to catch the breeze and send it shooting up my arm, causing it to rise like an airplane. It's just as fun when I bend them back down and send it crashing until it gets caught again, as if the wind is actually water. Love that feeling.

Time to write again.

The last two weeks have been a WHIRLWIND! We're talkin' marathon with no water, no breaks, no rest, no relief, give it all up until the end type of race here, and it's been interesting.

It all started with my birthday back on Cinco de Mayo, or "Cinco de Drupac," as it's been called the last three years. Since then I've gone through emotions ranging from all-out fun and happiness during the celebrations to the opposite with the loss of a loved one, and back AGAIN to celebrate her life with those around me.

The loved one I'm talking about is my grandma, Jamie Sykes. She passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's a little after midnight on the 13. While we knew that her time was coming, it was still a tough experience, but we got to say our goodbyes (or "see you laters" as I like to call them) before she moved on. I know now that she is at peace and in a much better state than she was in her final months. There's a bittersweet relief that comes with that, because on one hand I already miss her like crazy, but on the other, she's not suffering anymore. I don't think there's any real way to describe how that feels in words, but it's something we'll all eventually go through. Whenever this happens, the best thing you can really do is look at the glass half full, raise it, and be thankful for the time you had together, because in the end, that's all that matters. I'll always hold on to the memories I have with her.

I've been constantly on the go through all of this, and it hasn't caught up with me yet. I decided that the way I cope with this kind of thing is to get out of the house and to DO things with the people I love. I kind of called myself out about this when I realized I did it during the loss of my two grandfathers as well. It's not that I don't want to be around, it's just that I feel like going out and having a good time helps take away the down side of it all. I guess everybody has their own way of dealing with these kinds of things.

It's looking like I'm going to keep running through the week ahead as well, but in a good way. I've got three days of work before I hit the road to head to Louisville, Kentucky for the largest Beatles festival in the US: Abbey Road on the River. I'm looking forward to being Amanda's groupie when she takes the stage, and I think it'll be a great experience overall. Kind of like a mini-Mayercraft perhaps, with lots of fun people, music, and good times. This will LITERALLY be here before I know it, so if any catching up is gonna happen, it's gotta take place over the next day or two. If it doesn't go down, I'll just keep going and let the exhaustion nip at my heels for a little longer. I have a feeling it'll be worth it.

The weeks ahead will definitely be full of good vibes, because summer is pretty much here, and everyone is feeling happy. The trees are green, the sun is shining, and everybody wants to dance. I like it, and I'm looking forward to whatever happens in the next month.

For now, though, I want to make a little blomise. That's right, a blomise. I just made it up. If you haven't figured it out, it's my version of a "blog promise." Catchy, right? My BLOMISE is to write more. I love it, I hope you love it, and I've gotten away from it for a while. It's time to get back into the game, so here I come. I've missed you guys.

So until next time, keep it half full, keep dancing, keep running, and enjoy the kickoff of SUMMERTIME.

Drew

Writer's Block.

I'm strugglin' with the bloggage, guys. I think Mayercraft resurrected the slacker in me. What can ya do?

Things are good here. The weather is nice. Spring is on a roll. My b'day is in 13 days. Summer is coming. The job is strizzle. I'm in the process of applying for others. Woohoo.

This is definitely that time of year where I would save up absences and bounce out of class early because of the nice weather. Too bad you can't do that with work. If you're still in school, cherish those unexcused absences while you still can.

And speaking of school: UNCG may have my name on it for some follow-up education. We'll see. I've got some time to figure it out.

That's it for now. Time for a cold one and some chill action. Baseball game tomorrow night.

D.

I know, I know.

...I owe you Mayercraft pics and stories. I know.

You'll get them soon, I promise. I'm still sort of coming down from it all, trying to get back into the routine and soak up the good times while they're fresh.

Coming home was bittersweet, but the last few days have been a blast. I'll tell you one thing: there's nothing like getting to the airport after a long and amazing trip while being extremely tired but walking up the terminal and seeing a certain someone that makes you weak in the legs to the point where you're flying and you somehow find the energy to hurry up and get to them so you can EMBRACE.

That might not make sense, but DAMN...it does to me, and it's good.

I'm rambling though. It's true. It's late, and I'm tired, and really only good things are going through my mind right now. I mean, spring is in the AIR. Yeah, it's gonna get colder this week, but PSHT. Today was MONEY warm, and everybody's feeling it. Today also marked ONE week 'til my sister's b'day and ONE month 'til mine. Cool, right?

Oh, and today was OPENING DAY for Major League Baseball. This is a great thing because even though my Braves have struggled as of late (and I'm sure many of your teams have had their own troubles too...), the good thing about Opening Day is that it's a FRESH START. Braves in 2009? Probably not. But hey, as of TODAY, it's possible, and sometimes, that's all you need...(a boy can hope, right?)

Anyway, my bracket is screwed, I'm on an O.A.R. binge, the weather is warm, time is flying, and as of tonight, the Braves are undefeated in 2009. Two out of those four are good things, and one of them really isn't that bad, so I'll TAKE it.

Goodnight people.
Drew

Mayercraft First Report.

Epic. That's all she wrote. Plus Internet cost too much. Oh, but more later. You know it.

Love,
Drew