I'm back where it all started. Right now I'm in the St. John's College library in Annapolis writing this post. This is the exact seat where I was sitting 3 years ago when I started using the blog. Back then I no job, car, internet, or phone. A lot has changed since that time, mostly for the better. I can still remember exactly how I felt then--overall, I'm glad it's now and not then.
On Wednesday I hung out with Dan. That night we went to Horizons, which was sweet. I thought Dan would be blown away by the Seitan BBQ wings, but he didn't think they were that great. He did, however, really like the setain steak, so that was good.
Yesterday I came up to Annapolis. I said hi to my old co-workers and then went over to Andy and Laurel's for dinner and to stay over. The 3 of us plus Jin played Badminton in the yard and just generally had a nice time hanging out and talking.
Today I came back into Annapolis with Andy, said bye to my co-workers, and in a bit I'm going to meet up with Mark and hang out for the day.
There's an opening for a research position at school that offers full tuition reimbursment and a stipend, so I'm definitely applying. I bet the competition will be tough, but whatever, I'm going to apply and see what happens.
PS: the Baltimore Greyhound station is still an insuffrable dump.

Hallelujah. The universe spared me from two more meals of rice and beans. I ended up meeting Amnon and Avital in the afternoon, which resulted in being taken to Monk's and La Colombe, and then at night, I stopped into the Kaplan center to drop off the tests that I proctored, and there was a bunch of extra pizza sitting on the counter. I warmed it up in my oven, had a glass of wine, played Charlie Parker, and my malaise was instantly lifted. Spartan regimes have a major drawback in that they're depressing as hell. Vigor, happiness, and excitement add a lot to any endeavor. Once again, I've been shown that eating good food and treating the activity as something special, is highly important.

Some days you're on a roll and other days it's a battle. The day started out pretty well--I basically prepared for my lesson, got myself ready, and I also ended up talking to a potential tenant to take my place once I leave. He seems like a cool guy, I hope it works out for him (and for me too, if he decides he likes the paint job so I don't have to paint it back to white). Class itself went well, and when I came back, I finished my exercise and capped a strong first half of the day.
It was after my class that I started to falter a bit. I was desperately craving to go out and get some food, maybe get some snacks, and watch a movie or something, just chill out. I mentioned before that I've been eating beans, rice, and vegetables for lunch and dinner exclusively for the last week or two, both to save money and for my health. Of course, eating out violates both of the principles that motivated my current regimen to begin with.
My first response was to use my free Potbelly's Sandwiches gift card for dinner, thereby ending my craving without spending money or getting anything too unhealthy. I walked to the place, but it was already closed when I got there. It's an absolute miracle that I didn't collapse right then and there and get some junk food or something. I walked back to the apartment, pulled out my beans, rice, and vegetables, and tried my best to be positive about the whole thing.
After dinner the cravings didn't end, but I kept battling. I let myself mess around on the internet to try to distract myself. I ended up watching player interviews from Eagle's training camp, and that actually helped me to stay focused. I saw Brian Dawkin's mad face looking at me if I gave up my program and went to the corner store, so I held tight. In the end, I didn't cave in, and I even got a little bit of work done, so I can count this as a victory, though not an easy one.

I worked all day Friday and Saturday, which is why I didn't post. Earlier today I proctored a test, during which I prepared for school, and afterward I did laundry, planned some things for next week, talked to my mom, made food for the week, and watched Au Revoir Les Enfants.
The movie was powerful. Somehow this one affected me more than other films depicting the horrors of war. I felt anxiety and helplessness watching it, but then I realized that there are events like the Holocaust taking place right now, such as in Sudan. I've often thought, "how could all those Americans sit back during the Holocaust and not do anything?". I'm flabbergasted when I think about the apathy. Well, tonight after watching the film I realized that I'm one of those very people that flabbergast me. Even after I read What is the What, I still failed to recognize the reality of what's happening and my own lack of action.
Then I wondered what to do--where do I go from here? Make a donation? To begin with, I plan to write to my political representatives on all levels. Maybe I could talk my parents into adopting a refugee child? Maybe I could adopt a refugee child.
It's really shocking for me to meditate on the fact that events equal or greater in magnitude to the Holocaust are currently taking place. How can humanity continue to tolerate this? We all have a responsibility never to cease fighting for the principles of peace, justice, freedom, and understanding.