I'm selling heavenly sketches
a world out of my mind
ready to explode in purity
to fill the holes inside

an ever moving stream
with glowing rays of light
emotions tied to past lies
and I know I should let go

tame with confidence of a brighter future
I found a flame in the burnt out ashes... burn out, burn out

fueled these new shores burn
dark past lies cold
shadow, my sweet shadow
to you I look no more

another dawn collapses
do I need to be reminded?
a glimpse of my safe home
a path to hide all anger

in circles I catch
a torch carried by the immortal
from depths that I created
in vain echoes fade

Pictures from the zoo!

Just some of my favorites... would take forever to share all of them.

Mountain lion: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/drumgirl67/zoo/CIMG0795.jpg
Leopard: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/drumgirl67/zoo/CIMG0804.jpg

LIONS! Oh I love lions...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/drumgirl67/zoo/CIMG0773.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/drumgirl67/zoo/CIMG0772.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/drumgirl67/zoo/CIMG0771.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/drumgirl67/zoo/CIMG0770.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/drumgirl67/zoo/CIMG0769.jpg

Sun bear: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/drumgirl67/zoo/CIMG0768.jpg

Happy elephant! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/drumgirl67/zoo/CIMG0758.jpg

Meerkats: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/drumgirl67/zoo/CIMG0757.jpg

Here in the band we're faced with a little bit of a dilemma...

 

This past week was homecoming. This involves a number of traditions in the band, including but not limited to:

1. The freshmen write a saying on the underside of the bills of their beanies, which is something that each freshman earns in band camp in the summer by learning our names and the history of the band. For example here's my class in our beanies our freshman year: picture

2. There are 4 concrete "blocks" leading up to the band hall. At homecoming the freshmen have to strip off the fifth year's block and replace it with their own, for example here is our block, freshly painted: picture

3. After the football game, we have a band party which is for the most part band only, with some alumni typically showing up as well. It's one of two parties during the year which is sort of "you're a loser if you don't show up", the other being right after the freshmen get their beanies.

 

Now, here's the dilemma part... one of the freshmen was recently suspended for the rest of the year and lost all of his scholarships because he was stupid enough to hack into the public computers and log people's login info just "because I could".

 

Despite this, he continues to follow us around... taking pictures of everything and more importantly butting his nose into everything that's going on. He overheard people talking about the homecoming party and randomly showed up. He overheard other freshmen talking about their beanie slogan and showed up when they were painting them on to paint his. He saw the names on the block and whined and complained that he couldn't sign it... something that the band directly specifically told the other freshmen not to allow.

 

And the worst part of it all... the part that REALLY bothered me... was when he pulled out his saxophone in the stands and started playing with us.

 

1. I do not want people seeing him with us, leading them to think we're okay with his behavior

2. I do not want him to think we're okay with his behavior and

3. I do not associate with felons.

 

Every single person I have talked to about it has said how uncomfortable they were with him being there. Some were angry, confused... no one was okay with it.

 

So the question is, how do you tell someone they're not welcome in the group that they are obsessing over without completely crushing them?

Okay, to graduate under the hardware track for a computer engineering degree you  need 3 of 4 possible classes:

CSE 5380
CSE 5381
CSE 5385
EE 5356

5380 is only offered at most once every 2 years, and it doesn't fall in a place that works for me at all. So basically I'm required to take the remaining three classes.

5381 and 5385 are both offered ONLY in the Spring. They are graduate level classes, so it's pretty much all seniors taking it.

So please tell me who the f***'s idea it was to schedule them at the same exact time, making it pretty much IMPOSSIBLE for us to graduate?

Please, tell me, so I can strangle them.

Thanks.

Something I will never quite understand...

Some of my old friends complain that we never talk or see each other, which I also think sucks, but then when they come into town, they don't tell me.

Going to where you are is difficult. I'm not going to randomly stop by Texarkana or anywhere in Oklahoma or Arkansas. But there are reasons that you might come to Dallas. And you DO come to Dallas, and then you don't tell me? I don't get it.

I live right off of one of the most major roads in Dallas. One of the largest restaurant areas is literally right behind my apartment complex. A mall considered one of the best in the nation is no more than 3 minutes away. I can assure you, if you are in Dallas, I can come to where you are pretty easily.

If I were to be going through where you are, I would call. In fact, I can think of an example where I was happening to travel through where one of you are on a band trip and we stopped to eat and I DID call, but you were at work.

Maybe I don't try hard enough. I would be the first to admit I'm horrible at keeping in touch with people. But to come to Dallas and not inform me... honestly... that's pretty lame.

I would leave work or walk out of class, hop on a bus or subway train and be there ASAP wherever you are. But if I don't know that you're there I can't do that.