Get Busy Livin'
26 days to go before a bit of respite. I think that despite the work and low amount of sleep that's been happening, I'm the happiest that I have been all semester. What's more, the summer is falling into place more and more each day. I pushed back my work start date to the 29th of May, giving me a week between Europe and Air Products ... the importance of that change can't be overstated. The big question I have right now, though, is whether or not I should follow through with summer gryphoning. Here's what I see as the pro's and con's of that choice:
Pro's
-free summer housing (savings of approximately $2,000)
-guaranteed parking and storage for the summer and all the time in between
-opportunity to work with friends on staff
Con's
-very frequent weekend duty (lessening freedom, road trips, and visits home)
-pointless activities such as bulletin boards, door decorations, and programs
-less ability to do ridiculous things without consequences
-possibly having to hold others accountable for their actions
-not living with other friends in an off-campus environment
Even as I write this, I think I'm sold on the idea of not working as a gryphon for the summer. Life's too short and the money's just not worth the lost opportunities and possibilities of an independent three months. God knows I'm being paid exorbant amounts of money for having little to no working knowledge of anything; I might as well exploit that.
The decision has been made. I'll make the changes tomorrow.
Here's to a summer of friends, nights out, baseball games, drum corps shows, trips to cities, visits home, running in the sun, and whatever else happens between now and then.
April 23, 2007
April 13, 2007
I'm Excited
As a disclaimer before I write this, let me just say that I know everyone's schedule looks this way. I'm not complaining or lamenting the list I'm about to post ... it's just wildly exciting.
Godspeed to all of you in your endeavors as the year draws to a close.
Today's Date: April 13
April 15 - Brass Choir Performance
April 17 - Lab Proposal Due, Lab Final, Research Trip to Podiatrist
April 18 - IBE Poster Design Due
April 19 - Brass Choir Performance, Elements Project Part III Due
April 23 - IBE Presentation Dry Run
April 26 - Martindale Send-off Banquet, Wind Ensemble Dress Rehearsal, Elements Project Part IV Due, Gas Dynamics Project Due, Manufacturing Final Report Due (??)
April 29 - Wind Ensemble Concert, KKY Nu Class Social, Grandparents Visiting
April 30 - IBE Final Presentation
May 1 - Gas Dynamics Final
May 2 - Management Final
May 3 - Elements Final
May 4 - IBE Final Report Due, Dad's Birthday
May 5 - Manufacturing Final (??)
May 6-8 - Move, Storage, Home
May 9-20 - Martindale Trip to Benelux
May 20 - Fly to US, Move to Lehigh
May 21 - Start Summer Gryphoning, Internship at Air Products, and BUS 111 Class Online
May 25 - Pirates 3 Released, Brother's Birthday, Collapse
For the next 42 days ... it's circle drill continuous.
I love it.
As a disclaimer before I write this, let me just say that I know everyone's schedule looks this way. I'm not complaining or lamenting the list I'm about to post ... it's just wildly exciting.
Godspeed to all of you in your endeavors as the year draws to a close.
Today's Date: April 13
April 15 - Brass Choir Performance
April 17 - Lab Proposal Due, Lab Final, Research Trip to Podiatrist
April 18 - IBE Poster Design Due
April 19 - Brass Choir Performance, Elements Project Part III Due
April 23 - IBE Presentation Dry Run
April 26 - Martindale Send-off Banquet, Wind Ensemble Dress Rehearsal, Elements Project Part IV Due, Gas Dynamics Project Due, Manufacturing Final Report Due (??)
April 29 - Wind Ensemble Concert, KKY Nu Class Social, Grandparents Visiting
April 30 - IBE Final Presentation
May 1 - Gas Dynamics Final
May 2 - Management Final
May 3 - Elements Final
May 4 - IBE Final Report Due, Dad's Birthday
May 5 - Manufacturing Final (??)
May 6-8 - Move, Storage, Home
May 9-20 - Martindale Trip to Benelux
May 20 - Fly to US, Move to Lehigh
May 21 - Start Summer Gryphoning, Internship at Air Products, and BUS 111 Class Online
May 25 - Pirates 3 Released, Brother's Birthday, Collapse
For the next 42 days ... it's circle drill continuous.
I love it.
April 09, 2007
Martin Thomas
I never knew my paternal grandfather ... he died several years before I was born. If generational history and patterns are to be believed, though, I imagine he must have been a lot like my dad. It's my opinion that my brother and I both inherited at least half of our personalities from our father. I received his near-irrational love of work, his love of achievement, his preference to often let his performance speak for him. My brother, to my mind, seems to have received his stubbornness, his appreciation for letting things go unsaid, and his ability to often hide emotion. These are, of course, not negative traits and I don't mean to convey any of us in an unfavorable light- I'm just pointing out how wildly similar the three of us can be.
So it must be that my grandfather was similar to my dad and, therefore, similar to us. I don't know very much about him, to be honest. I know he was a career military man, a non-com, who fought in Korea and raised his family on or near Fort Dix for most of his life. He had four children, one of whom who died in childhood, my father in the middle with a sister on each side. As any proud Irishman he could drink well; he also smoked himself to death, succumbing to cancer at a comparably young age (mid-fifties). In those pictures which survived from his youth, he bears a striking resemblance to my father (although not to my brother and I- we both have a lot of our mom's side in our appearance, as well).
My dad usually gives mostly facts like that about his father, without a lot of explanation of really who he was, how he acted, or what he believed. He will often say that he would have loved my brother and I, and been proud of what we've already accomplished in our lives. I suppose most of the image I have of him as a person comes from what I know of my dad's life ... my dad, who worked two jobs to put himself through college and made himself into a very successful business manager for almost 30 years before his injury. The relationship my dad held with his family then (and holds now) also speaks to my grandfather, but I know only cursory details from that time period at best.
So the picture of my grandfather as I know him- hard working, probably not openly loving, driven, highly expectant of work in others, with a hesitance to convey emotion beyond anger or laughter, and a love of discipline.
Sounds familiar.
I bring this up because in a concert next week I ended up with the solo for "O Danny Boy," a wildly famous Irish tune that you'd know if you heard. It's been one of my favorite songs for years, and I'm very happy I get to finally perform it (on euphonium, no less). To prepare, I was practicing the solo over Spring Break when my mom knocked on the door. When I opened it, all she said was, "I just wanted to let you know- you sound good. Your dad especially likes it- he even made a comment about how this is one of his favorite songs. I think this was one of his dad's favorite songs, too ... you must be reminding him of your grandfather."
The rarity of this comment from my dad said a lot to me. He never comments of my playing unless it's a performance, after which he says, "Good job" or "Next time leave the trumpets at home." It gave me a good feeling to know that I was able to remind him of someone that obviously had such an effect on him ... much the same effect, I would believe, he's having on me and my brother now.
It's the little things in life that are important. Not big events or situations, but just bits of knowledge that leave a lasting impact and make you think. This Thursday I'll have that bit of extra knowledge when I stand up to play Danny Boy ... the knowledge that I'm not just playing one of my favorite songs. I'll be performing the favorite song of my dad, the man who has influenced me so much, and the favorite song of his dad, a man who inevitably and indirectly has done the same thing.
Here's to Martin Thomas Walsh ... I wish I could have met you.
I never knew my paternal grandfather ... he died several years before I was born. If generational history and patterns are to be believed, though, I imagine he must have been a lot like my dad. It's my opinion that my brother and I both inherited at least half of our personalities from our father. I received his near-irrational love of work, his love of achievement, his preference to often let his performance speak for him. My brother, to my mind, seems to have received his stubbornness, his appreciation for letting things go unsaid, and his ability to often hide emotion. These are, of course, not negative traits and I don't mean to convey any of us in an unfavorable light- I'm just pointing out how wildly similar the three of us can be.
So it must be that my grandfather was similar to my dad and, therefore, similar to us. I don't know very much about him, to be honest. I know he was a career military man, a non-com, who fought in Korea and raised his family on or near Fort Dix for most of his life. He had four children, one of whom who died in childhood, my father in the middle with a sister on each side. As any proud Irishman he could drink well; he also smoked himself to death, succumbing to cancer at a comparably young age (mid-fifties). In those pictures which survived from his youth, he bears a striking resemblance to my father (although not to my brother and I- we both have a lot of our mom's side in our appearance, as well).
My dad usually gives mostly facts like that about his father, without a lot of explanation of really who he was, how he acted, or what he believed. He will often say that he would have loved my brother and I, and been proud of what we've already accomplished in our lives. I suppose most of the image I have of him as a person comes from what I know of my dad's life ... my dad, who worked two jobs to put himself through college and made himself into a very successful business manager for almost 30 years before his injury. The relationship my dad held with his family then (and holds now) also speaks to my grandfather, but I know only cursory details from that time period at best.
So the picture of my grandfather as I know him- hard working, probably not openly loving, driven, highly expectant of work in others, with a hesitance to convey emotion beyond anger or laughter, and a love of discipline.
Sounds familiar.
I bring this up because in a concert next week I ended up with the solo for "O Danny Boy," a wildly famous Irish tune that you'd know if you heard. It's been one of my favorite songs for years, and I'm very happy I get to finally perform it (on euphonium, no less). To prepare, I was practicing the solo over Spring Break when my mom knocked on the door. When I opened it, all she said was, "I just wanted to let you know- you sound good. Your dad especially likes it- he even made a comment about how this is one of his favorite songs. I think this was one of his dad's favorite songs, too ... you must be reminding him of your grandfather."
The rarity of this comment from my dad said a lot to me. He never comments of my playing unless it's a performance, after which he says, "Good job" or "Next time leave the trumpets at home." It gave me a good feeling to know that I was able to remind him of someone that obviously had such an effect on him ... much the same effect, I would believe, he's having on me and my brother now.
It's the little things in life that are important. Not big events or situations, but just bits of knowledge that leave a lasting impact and make you think. This Thursday I'll have that bit of extra knowledge when I stand up to play Danny Boy ... the knowledge that I'm not just playing one of my favorite songs. I'll be performing the favorite song of my dad, the man who has influenced me so much, and the favorite song of his dad, a man who inevitably and indirectly has done the same thing.
Here's to Martin Thomas Walsh ... I wish I could have met you.
April 03, 2007
When Did This Happen?
I was talking to my parents on the phone last night when something hit me out of the blue. It was a realization of something that I probably should have known, but it didn't really pop out at me until my Dad phrased it perfectly:
J: "So I'm arranging my finals schedule, working out where I'm living this summer to accomodate moving my stuff there before I leave for Europe, and then coming back to start at Air Products. I still need to call the company to check on my start date, but after that I should be good. I applied for that credit card just in case I need it, too. Did I forget anything?"
Dad: "Sounds like you got most of it covered ... and hey, it's your life. We're just here to keep you from doing something overly dumb."
Wait, it's my life? I've been at college for three years and no one ever sent me a memo on this one- when the hell did that happen? When did my life change from a dynamic in which parents, teachers, and friends guided and supported me in every single decision I made? Where did the fail-safes and protection go (in the form of my mom checking my tax paperwork or my grandfather arranging a job interview)? Most importantly, who's here to keep me alive and kicking, and to keep me from making mistakes?
Somehow, through three years of choices, decisions, work, and growth, something occurred in which ownership of my life shifted. I became the one who sought out jobs, made friends, and chose what I did on a day-to-day basis. In the back of my mind, until very recently, I had always sort of assumed that there was still someone looking out for me in everything that I did. Someone who would yell at me for missing class, who would question what I did with my free time, who would double-check and discuss my decisions with me before I made them. Like the good old days- you know, high school.
And then, very slowly, day by day and choice by choice, that seems to have gone out the window. Trapped in my own self-crafted world of academics, work, and an uncompromising/unhealthy dependency on achievement, I didn't realize that such a change was even taking place. After my Dad made that comment, I was silent for a second, almost shocked by the notion that he and my Mom really didn't have any advice for me on the specific choices I made. They don't know the friends with whom I might live, the housing conditions I might choose, the job I might accept, or the classes I might take. Sure, they can always offer general tips and remind me of glaring omissions I might make ("Did you file your taxes this year?" or "Put on pants before you go to class."), but for the most part they can't help at all anymore.
Of course, the end result of this self-actualization is the idea that, one year from now, I'll have decided what the next step in my life will be (just like the rest of the class of 2008). But where to ... the job market? Grad school? A different region of the country? A different country entirely? Right back here at Lehigh to get a Master's Degree and stave off the notion of complete independence for another 12 months? Will there be someone else to take into consideration, or will I still be that single, awkward guy with good intentions but poor romantic execution? Christ, what the hell will my name even be? I could be Martin J. again by the time I apply for a real job.
Anyway, here's to the realization that each of us is creeping toward adulthood quicker than we know it. Congratulations to those of you who, for whatever reason, have already figured that out and started investment in your 401 K's. For the rest of us ... I don't know about you, but I still watch cartoons, frequently play video games, and honestly believe think that "Pirate" is just about the best occupation you can have. Newfound life accountability or not- anyone willing to trust me with the title of "adult" at this point should have their head examined.
Here's to growing up, and the realization that the choices we make at this point are our own.
Goodnight.
I was talking to my parents on the phone last night when something hit me out of the blue. It was a realization of something that I probably should have known, but it didn't really pop out at me until my Dad phrased it perfectly:
J: "So I'm arranging my finals schedule, working out where I'm living this summer to accomodate moving my stuff there before I leave for Europe, and then coming back to start at Air Products. I still need to call the company to check on my start date, but after that I should be good. I applied for that credit card just in case I need it, too. Did I forget anything?"
Dad: "Sounds like you got most of it covered ... and hey, it's your life. We're just here to keep you from doing something overly dumb."
Wait, it's my life? I've been at college for three years and no one ever sent me a memo on this one- when the hell did that happen? When did my life change from a dynamic in which parents, teachers, and friends guided and supported me in every single decision I made? Where did the fail-safes and protection go (in the form of my mom checking my tax paperwork or my grandfather arranging a job interview)? Most importantly, who's here to keep me alive and kicking, and to keep me from making mistakes?
Somehow, through three years of choices, decisions, work, and growth, something occurred in which ownership of my life shifted. I became the one who sought out jobs, made friends, and chose what I did on a day-to-day basis. In the back of my mind, until very recently, I had always sort of assumed that there was still someone looking out for me in everything that I did. Someone who would yell at me for missing class, who would question what I did with my free time, who would double-check and discuss my decisions with me before I made them. Like the good old days- you know, high school.
And then, very slowly, day by day and choice by choice, that seems to have gone out the window. Trapped in my own self-crafted world of academics, work, and an uncompromising/unhealthy dependency on achievement, I didn't realize that such a change was even taking place. After my Dad made that comment, I was silent for a second, almost shocked by the notion that he and my Mom really didn't have any advice for me on the specific choices I made. They don't know the friends with whom I might live, the housing conditions I might choose, the job I might accept, or the classes I might take. Sure, they can always offer general tips and remind me of glaring omissions I might make ("Did you file your taxes this year?" or "Put on pants before you go to class."), but for the most part they can't help at all anymore.
Of course, the end result of this self-actualization is the idea that, one year from now, I'll have decided what the next step in my life will be (just like the rest of the class of 2008). But where to ... the job market? Grad school? A different region of the country? A different country entirely? Right back here at Lehigh to get a Master's Degree and stave off the notion of complete independence for another 12 months? Will there be someone else to take into consideration, or will I still be that single, awkward guy with good intentions but poor romantic execution? Christ, what the hell will my name even be? I could be Martin J. again by the time I apply for a real job.
Anyway, here's to the realization that each of us is creeping toward adulthood quicker than we know it. Congratulations to those of you who, for whatever reason, have already figured that out and started investment in your 401 K's. For the rest of us ... I don't know about you, but I still watch cartoons, frequently play video games, and honestly believe think that "Pirate" is just about the best occupation you can have. Newfound life accountability or not- anyone willing to trust me with the title of "adult" at this point should have their head examined.
Here's to growing up, and the realization that the choices we make at this point are our own.
Goodnight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)