Stephanie--along with two of our other friends on campus, Keri and Lauren Lee--turn 20 today!

My first alarm of the day for five days of the week is set for 4:50 a.m. So when I set the alarm 25 minutes earlier, that is getting early even for me. I am up and dressed; the bulk of my stuff is in my Volvo; my pop-tarts and ziplock bags of cereal and granola are hanging in a Publix bag from the suite door to remind me to get my bottle of milk from the refrigerator; I am ready for the first regatta of the year.
Row Tide!

Monday night, at the UCM Coffeehouse, I said to a few people that it had been “a very long Monday;” now, in my semester's schedule, all of my Mondays are long, but for some reason, this past one was especially lengthly. Today was fairly long as well, especially considering it possessed the same class load as Monday, plus Stephanie, Steph, and Matt all left a little less than an hour ago, my roommates are all gone, and the campus is relatively ghost town-like compared to the normal hustle and bustle of a mid-semester evening. When I was not with the crew team or in class, I was either grabbing a quick bite to eat, working on my AC371 project in the business library, or meeting up with my AC371 instructor for some tips on and clarification for the aforementioned project. My team and I got in a good brainstorming/collaboration session last night after our AC310 lab, but the memo still is not quite polished to where it could or should be, methinks. My last class of the day let out a little bit early, so I walked back to the dorm, and then helped Stephanie, Steph, and Matt get their stuff into Stephanie's Bonneville for the break, and then saw them off before ambling to Lakeside for dinner and a Sudoku puzzle. A friend of mine with whom I had Brit Lit II in the spring saw me while I was eating and came over to say hello; Daniel asked how I was doing, and I pondered for a moment and replied that I was doing pretty well at the time. He said I looked peaceful and that “Sudoku zen” was a “good place to be.” :-) Indeed, a good logic puzzle and food makes for a relaxing time, but I was still missing Stephanie, as it is rare we have a meal separately. Now, onto fall break, and in a few days, the Chattanooga Head Race.

Today is the second-to-last day of classes before classes are dismissed for the “mid-semester study break.” I am not sure why it is called as such, because it is definitely not a break from studying--unless you just want to get behind. However, with that said, I do not know how much studying I may be able to get in over the days between Thursday and Sunday, because I have a late crew practice (eight o'clock) on Thursday, and then I will be leaving fairly early on Friday morning with the guys to head up to Chattanooga for the first regatta of the season, from which we will not return until sometime late on Saturday night; Sunday morning there is worship, and then I will have a few hours again in the afternoon to wrap a few things up before that “break” rapidly comes to a close. Even so, it will be a relief to not have classes for two days, even if I am only getting out of two classes between the two days. It would be better for me if the break spanned Friday through Monday, because then I would miss out on the five-class Monday that I have to deal with each week. I have all my “midterm” grades back from my various classes: an A+ for Computer Applications (AC289), A in Introductory Spanish (SP101), A in Business Financial Reporting I (AC310), B+ in Introduction to Taxation (AC371), and B in Organizational Theory and Behavior (MGT300). That gives me a GPA of 3.726 to work with at this point, which is not as high as I am “accustomed” to score, but I have to keep in mind that I am getting into more technical and in-depth classes, and even in those which I have had a solid base for, I must continue to work in and out of class to improve. I wanted to make all-A's this semester, and while I am not out of the running yet, I have some work to do to get back up there in a couple classes.

Aaaannd...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LAURREL!!!

This week has been homecoming week, which, of course, must culminate in the homecoming football game. For the past several days, the quad has been slowly populated by tent after tent for groups to welcome their alumni. Over in the large, open section of the quad, a giant frame has been going up for a bonfire, and pallets have been stacked inside to provide the bulk of the fuel. When the bonfire was finally lit last night, there was an enormous crowd to see the blaze, which prompted me to comment that everyone is a pyrotechnic at heart! It was amusing to see the numerous cell phones being held up to capture a photograph of the spectacle; and then there was the clueless person in the back, using their regular camera--with the flash on. There is a giant fire in front of you; the fire produces light; why are you trying to illuminate a 20'x20'x60' blaze with a 4xAA battery flash?
The crew team had a tent on the alumni “section” of the quad, so I went up there and hung out with the couple guys I knew in the group while Stephanie was working a shift at the Arts & Sciences tent as part of her Arts & Sciences Ambassador's duties. The kickoff for the game was an early one, 2:07 pm, so once Stephanie had finished up at 10 till noon, we walked back to Riverside so she could get out of her A&S Ambassador garb and into comfortable clothes, grabbed our tickets and a quick bite to eat, and then we walked quickly up to the stadium, where Matt was saving a couple seats for us. The time and temperature of the game reminded me quite a bit of my first college football game last fall: UA vs. Vanderbilt, I was painted up with some guys from the crew team, it was an early game, very hot and sunny, and I had a “B” and the number “34” branded into my chest and back, respectively, from the sun. However, I managed to get through three quarters of the football game without similar scorching, but by that time, being out most of the day in the middle of the day in the sun was draining Stephanie--and me too, to a degree--so we took our leave and walked back to the other side of campus.
The best comment we got was on my “rowtide” Alabama Crew shirt from a lady working the GameDay logistics: “Now that's original! It's all about football until you see that shirt.” Yes, though it may come as a surprise to some, more than football is played at the University of Alabama; to borrow a phrase, “I play crew.”
Oh, and we did win the football game, in case you were wondering. UA, 30; Houston, 24.

So, I was merrily going about life, enjoying the warm, sunny weather, and reveling in the extended Alabama summer. Then I drove up north a little ways, staying in Huntsville with Stephanie's family for the weekend, and while there, we went to one evening of Big Spring Jam, an annual music festival in the downtown area of Huntsville. Towards the end of the evening, one of the stage announcers said something about it being a beautiful fall evening. I said to myself, “But it is still summer.” Then I actually thought about it and realized that the speaker was right--it was the 29th of September, well past the autumnal equinox. It is fall now! And my sister's birthday is in nine days... :-)

Today, after five weeks and two days of travel in England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and France, Stephanie is finally returning to the states. I am currently at her family's house, where I spent last night, and in about an hour and a half we will be driving to Atlanta to pick her up at the airport!!! From there, the next few days are going to be as a whirlwind: we will be spending the night with her grandparents tonight in Marietta, driving back to Huntsville tomorrow, on Thursday she has several errands and appointments to take care of, besides packing, and the Friday, we are heading back to school to get her settled in; it is going to be a little crazy and harebrained until the first part of next week, most likely. I am only a little bit excited about this whole thing...okay, no, I am very, very excited!! :-D

There is a relatively unknown and obscure gem across the Black Warrior River from the campus of the University of Alabama, and its name is City Cafe.
Mom and I discovered this little hometown restaurant last summer during orientation after a plea for a good Southern breakfast was directed to a friendly local. I have only eaten there a handful of times now--I believe this morning was my third or fourth time--but each time it has been delicious and satisfying. The prices are inexpensive, the waitresses are friendly Southern country gals, and the food is tasty. Matt's reaction on taking his first bite of a plate piled high with three enormous pancakes was, “Mm, they taste just like my grandmother's pancakes.” Yes, it is that good. :-) I myself enjoyed three eggs over-medium, with grits, sausage links, biscuits, and a mug of coffee. Chick-fil-A may have been my first meal in Alabama, but City Cafe was my first substantial meal in the state!

Seriously, why are all the cafeterias and dining halls closed? I realize there are not nearly as many people on campus compared to the school's full population, but at least have something open that I can use my ACT card at... Well, at least tomorrow Burke and the Ferg will be open for a few hours. I am definitely going to hit Burke for a bite or three around lunch, and if Matt is not called away by his Alabama Action duties--and perhaps even if he is--I want to go to City Cafe for breakfast tomorrow. If I cannot eat on campus, at least I can find some good Southern cooking at wonderful poor-college-kid prices! :-P
Well, it is Sunday evening, and I successfully checked in this morning and got my key (and a few hours later I confirmed that my ACTion card was encoded for my building already, which was quite wonderful, indeed), opened up my room, and moved my belongings from the living room down the hallway to my room. I have room D this year, as opposed to room A, which I had last year, but I actually like D better, for the short time I have had it. The view is the biggest thing; it bugged me last year that my window looked directly across...at another wing of the dorm. Wonderful view, let me tell you. The bit of outside world I could see that was not blocked by the brick wall consisted of the Lakeside parking lot and the lovely Rose Towers. Now, at least, I do not have to continually have other windows staring back at me, requiring a near-constant presence of the venetian blinds provided for that express purpose.
It has been relaxing here, really.
I had crashed on the sofa last night, which was fairly comfortable for a generic dorm couch, and I got up this morning around eight o'clock or so. I was not sure when check in began again, but when I noticed people walking back and forth in front of the building, carrying various boxes and containers, and pushing carts and dollies, I figured the day's fun had begun, so I pulled a shirt on, slipped into my sandals, and bounded down the stairs to really begin settling into my room. I got everything moved back, and while I was doing so, Matt woke up. As I continued moving stuff down the hallway, we kept up a friendly banter as he woke up and worked on arranging his own room. By 9:30, both of us were pretty well famished, so we left to go eat breakfast at IHOP.
Well, we arrived there--and it was completely packed. There was not an empty space in its meager parking lot, and the minute entry area was full of famished families, so we decided to try to find food elsewhere. I asked, “Do you like Krispy Kreme?” “Get me there,” was his eager response. So we zipped back around to McFarland and proceeded to put away a dozen doughnuts between the two of us. I admit, my first two “meals” in Alabama have hardly been the healthiest options, but I will more than make up for that during the semester. Six doughnuts and a pint of milk stowed in each of our bellies, we clambered back into Matt's Kia and headed back to campus. It was about 10:30 by that time, so I worked on a few more things, and then drove over to Calvary for what I thought was going to be Relate AM. I had checked Relate's website last night, and it said that morning worship was at 9:45 and Relate AM followed at 11 o'clock. Well, unbeknownst to me, that was not going into effect until next week, so I walked in on a sanctuary full of people, clapping about something or other; I was rather oblivious. The church, like IHOP's parking lot, was full, so I perched on a step for the service.
After the sermon was over, I squirmed my way through Tutwiler move-in traffic, en route to 15th and ultimately Target to pick up a few forgotten items. However, I had wisely left my list at the dorm, so I still ended up forgetting something. That is why I am quite glad Target resides so close to campus... Since then, I have been hanging out here in Riverside, rearranging my room and settling everything in. It is looking quite nice at this point in the day, and I have been reading for the past hour or more. I was able to talk to Stephanie for a while again, via phone and then online... And that is how my day has been. It is good to be back, that is for sure.

Late this morning, I headed up to Altoona with Connrad to go to Barnes & Noble and then to the Logan Valley mall to meet Kyle, Connor, TJ, Jono, and Jared to see The Bourne Ultimatum, the third installment of the Bourne trilogy. Aside from a plot hole at the end that barely affected the story as a whole, the movie was solid, intense, and well-acted. Jason Bourne is much better than James Bond--absolutely.
And...I would write up a “review” on it...but it is 10 o'clock, and I have other things I need to wrap up, so you shall have to find such a writeup elsewhere. :-) My sympathies to any disappointed readers.

Whew, August has certainly arrived with the heat. As I drove down Mile Level today, the thermometer at the First Commonwealth Bank read “101 *little degree circle*”, which is the highest I have seen it register yet this year! This morning at HeBrews, one of the regulars came in and commented that it was getting warm already, even that early in the morning, and I responded that I had heard on the radio it was forecasted to be in the upper-80s and low-90s for the remainder of the week (which will make being in the truck at work like a sauna). Later I joked to Shari that this weather was preparing for my return to school later this month! :-P

Just nine days until my departure...

At the thought of saying I was filing papers earlier, another thought followed quickly on the first's heels, and it involved Amelia Bedelia (I am not sure I spelled that right). Anyone familiar with the said Ms. Bedelia? She is the main character of a series of children's books, known for her take-everything-literally nature. This particular thought was of a book when she tried to work in an office and was told to “file these papers.” So she pulled out her nail file from her purse and filed away at them...much to her employer's chagrin!
Such was not the case with my filing, as I finally caught up with all my paperwork, bill stubs, credit card and bank information from the summer and stowed them away in their appropriate folders in my neat file box. There is just something about going from a living room floor strewn liberally with paper to a file box neatly occupied by said papers in an orderly fashion...it is a satisfactory accomplishment to be sure.

It is strange to think that in just two weeks I will be on the road again, heading back to school with a few stops along the way. I have heard that the “first summer home” after going to school is the toughest, for both the student and his family. Thankfully, I have not found that to be the case, and overall the transition back into family life has been very smooth. Soon the transition will be going back into school life, classes, crew practice, and juggling a whole new type of schedule. Besides the “normal” busyness, I will also have the additional responsibility of treasurer for the crew team, and hopefully a fairly steady on-campus job. Speaking of which, I stopped in at Wal-Mart today, and providentially ran into Barb, the personnel manager. I had been working with her about the technicalities for my departure to school and how that would affect my job at the store; at first glance, it looked as if I would have to be *gasp* terminated because otherwise I would be unable to work elsewhere during the semester. But I wanted to make sure all the options had been looked at, so I asked her to really check into it to see whether or not I would be able to get a work-study job on campus. So when I saw her today, she had wonderful news: I would be able to go with the LA (leave of absence) and still be able to get some work while at school. Then when I am ready to return for some time over a holiday (for me, just Christmas), I just need to let them know when I will be back. That is an answered prayer, because I was quite averse to quitting there if there was any possibility of working things around for the best of both parties.
I already have a long list of items I need to gather and accomplish before my departure, and I am hoping I will be able to complete most, if not all of them. Packing my car again is going to be an engineering dream. :-P I so enjoy figuring out how to use the little spaces, nooks, and crannies in my car, and that was especially good for my trip back home, because I had everything in my car with enough room for me, and that was about it; that was a relief, because in the nine-month interim of packing to go to school and packing to return home I had accumulated enough stuff to fill my front passenger seat as well, which had been empty for my brother on the trip down! Since I will have a little more time and flexibility to pack up, I am hoping to get everything in even tighter than I had it, in order to squeeze out a little more “empty space” so I am not so cramped for the trip. I will be without a TV...oh, hm...I was also without that on the return trip, which was definitely a good thing, because there would have been no way I could have crammed a 26 inch TV into that mess! Anyway, I will not have to bring that back down, since I left it with Stephen for the summer, and I will also be leaving a desktop at home that spent most of the year under my bed and in a cabinet. But I have a shelf that I purchased at Target (shh, do not tell anyone! :-) to add to my room's furnishings, and a laundry rack, so I have some new and large items to maneuver into the Volvo, but I will manage it. :-)

So, it is only Thursday, and I am already back from Delaware. Just earlier today I was getting pounded into the sand by the swells, and now I am sitting in front of one of our desktops, catching up on a few things, and waiting for it to be nine o'clock in Central time... I checked my Gmail to find that I had a few emails from the crew team, and one was from Calvin letting me--and others on the team--know that there was a chatroom “meeting” for the team tonight at nine. I checked the clock on my taskbar: “9:01 PM.” “Whew,” I thought, “just in time.” I quickly signed on...and to my surprise, no one was on from the team that I could see! Well, that is not saying much, considering the only guy whose screenname I have is Chad. I went onto Facebook (a wonderful thing these networking sites can be) and added Calvin's, and to my relief he was on, and I sent him a quick hello. He responded, “hey trevvor i believe bryan is on as well it's only 8:00 over here.” I felt a little sheepish; of course it was only eight o'clock there in Alabama; it has been a long time since I was in Central time, that is for sure...

After roughly five hours on the road (only four-and-a-quarter was actually driving) and only three wrong turns, Grandpa Allison and I reached the Simpson's home in Delaware, meeting up with the rest of the family who had driven up from Bethany Beach. Despite the fact that we were departing from totally opposite directions, and Grandpa and I had to travel four times the distance, we both arrived about 15 minutes apart! Seeing the Simpsons was very enjoyable, and we had a lovely visit with the family for several hours. It was interesting to see how the kids had changed--and how we had changed. They moved from Bedford 11 years ago, and in that time, we only visited them once, so their four kids and the four of us kids changed a lot in that time. While we were there, David showed us a really cool thing: balance boards! Dad and I played on two of them for at least 40 minutes, I would say, and they were great fun! :-D
Anyway, we departed from there in the late afternoon, I swapped my passenger (Grandpa) for Dad, and he drove and I rode for a change, and we got to talk for quite a while, which was quite timely and needed. :-) We pulled into our rented townhouse, they showed me around the quarters, Dad and I played some completely un-serious tennis for an hour or so, we returned to the “house,” I grazed through the kitchen a little bit, and then I said goodnight to the family gathered in the livingroom and went upstairs to the bedroom with the thought in mind to get ready for bed and sleep. I laid down on the bed--which was still completely made--and that was as far as I got! :-P I slept for, oh, 12 and a half hours, I would say. That is more sleep than I have been able to get in a night for quite some time, especially after this last week. So now, I have been up for a while, I have been reading Ted Dekker's THR3E for most of the day, and now I am visiting a cute little coffeeshop called “The Artful Bean” in Bethany Beach, Delaware. I heard some coffee being ground earlier, and it immediately brought me back behind the counter at HeBrews, pulling an espresso shot. :-) Well, that will be all for now, and hopefully I shall be back at other points this week to post updates.