France: Parlez-vous Anglais???

YO.

That's right, friends. I'm in Strasbourg, France (technically Robertsau) and it's simply wonderful. Ok, it's raining so maybe wonderful is strong, but it's very nice. My dad and I just took a walk around town and swung by the bank to change some dollars.

Last night, right when we got in from Heidelberg we went to a pizza place. This was no normal pizza place, mind you. The "pizzas" were called tarte flambee. They had paper-thin crusts and were covered in cheese, bacon, and white sauce. One of them also had mushrooms and another had muenster cheese on it. These were apparently an Alsacian favorite and soon became an Eric favorite. Along with them, we had a stunning Pinot Grigio and tap water (crazy!). After dinner we came back to Christine's flat and had desert and looked at pictures from Germany.

This morning I rose around 10 and we had a most elegant break

fast (pictured here). When was the last time you had breakfast like that? Coffee from the press, baguettes, butter, and rose-hip jam. I feel like a chapter from an old French novel.

Anyways, after breakfast, my mom and Chr

istine went to the Supermache (Supermarket) and my dad and I went for a stroll to the bank and around town. I'm now back here working on the last few bars of my computer's battery and looking forward to the rest of the day. I hope everyone back in the states (and where ever you are) is having a lovely morning so far and I've got to get downstairs and see what's going on with lunch and so on.

Ciao!

Germany: Ein Apfelschorle, bitte.

Apfelschorle (apple soda) is probably my favorite German drink. The Heidelberger Hefeweizen is good, but this stuff is...I mean it's uniquely German as far as I know. You can get a Harpoon Hefeweizen and be doing pretty well for yourself, but even my favorite Boston brewery doesn't carbonate apple juice and sell it. What a great idea.

Sorry it's been so long. It's definitely not "tomorrow" as pseudo-promised in the last entry but in my defense, this is the first time I've had internet access since that entry. There's way too much to share.

The rest of my family arrived safely this past monday and tuesday and now that we're all here, things have gotten better (as they were a little rough for a few days). I've been bounced around in terms of accommodations and have stayed here with my sister and at another apartment with my other sister + cousin and finally last night I stayed with Travis.

Travis is an interesting character to put it mildly. He's one of Katie's co-workers at the University. A ripe 32-years-old and a St. Louis, MO native. That sounds fairly normal, but he doesn't sound at all normal. He's been in Europe 6 years and his voice reflects it. It's lost all nasal quality (the kind us Americans are known for) and he speaks English in German and French now if that makes sense. His words are English, but his sentence structures and such are foreign. He lives right near the buzz of Heidelberg which is sort of cool. His apartment could literally be construed as a hole in the wall. It's right off the street, so when the garbage trucks come by Monday morning, he sleeps on the kitchen floor because it's farther from the window (where the loud noises come in). Craziness.

This morning, I'm working on music for the wedding reception while Katie, Janah, Renatta(Janah's Polish bff), and Clara get their nails done. Frank and I are holding it down here at the apartment. Later today, I'll be eating Turkish kabobs with my brother, Ellie, Boris + Betina (my brother's host + hostess), and whoever else decides to join. Then the rehearsal is tonight, followed by a dinner in the aforementioned abandoned restaurant. Good fun.

I hope to be able to update again soon. If I can't though, have a great weekend and I'll be back in Virginia before you know it. So you can all come see me. Yes.

Germany: Dazed + Confused

Good Morning!

Looks to be about 5:30am EST but a ripe 11:30am here in Mannheim, Germany.

Consequently, my internal clock is all out of whack. My body thinks it's 5:30, my brain thinks it's 11:30. Strange and a little disorienting.

Besides the chrono-shock though, things have been great. I made it from Frankfurt to Mannheim in one piece (thanks to my cousin, Clara) and I'm now in my sister's apartment. This morning I had cereal, yogurt, and coffee for breakfast and then we made our way into Heidelberg on the tandem bike to pick up a power adapter for my computer. For those of you who don't know, Europeans have different plugs than Americans so when coming over here it's good to be prepared for that sort of thing.

Tonight is the week-before-the-wedding party. Frank has access to this abandoned restaurant downstairs and that's where we'll be doing that. I've been put in charge of music and that's finally coming together as well (and that's why we needed the adapter). Everything from Michael Jackson to Tracy Chapman and back.

The weather is gorgeous. Relatively cool (70s). Later on today I may be helping Frank with party food and drinks and then it's only hours until the fun begins (around 4pm)!

No awkward language situations to report so far, however it's only been about 24 hours.

I hope everyone is having a lovely sleep and I'll be back tomorrow!

Don't Write Yourself Off Yet

Hey,

Don't write yourself off yet.

It's only in your head you feel left out,

Or looked down on.

Just try your best,

Try everything you can.

And don't you worry what they tell themselves

When you're away.

It just takes some time,

little girl, you're in the middle of the ride.

Everything, everything will be just fine,

Everything, everything will be alright. (alright)

Hey,

You know they're all the same.

You know you're doing better on your own, (on your own)

So don't buy in.

Live right now.

Yeah, just be yourself.

It doesn't matter if it's good enough (good enough)

For someone else.

[Chorus x2]

Hey, don't write yourself off yet.

It's only in your head you feel left out, (feel left out)

Or looked down on.

Just do your best, (just do your best)

Do everything you can. (do everything you can)

And don't you worry what their bitter hearts (bitter hearts)

Are gonna say.

[Chorus x2]

Rule #3: [Lesson] Of The Flies

Earlier this morning I was doing dishes and staring out the window into my neighbor's yard. I'm helping him clear out the jungle it has become and I was admiring our handy work when all of the sudden, some stupid fly crashes directly into the window. Then again. Again. Again. Happening in quicker succession then you can read it, probably. Anyways, you know how that goes. The fly keeps on banging into the window, perhaps relying on that infinitesimal chance that the molecules will align themselves in such a way that he will be able to go right on through. So, the question is:

Stupid insect or genius creature?

My answer is neither. He's certainly not stupid but I wouldn't say he's a genius either. Instead, I would say that he's been given a gift. Call me an idealist, but I would argue, for the sake of the human spirit and a little encouragement, that the fly is not being stupid but persistent. He knows that the odds are against him, he knows what happened last time he tried to get out of a closed window, but he keeps on doing it with the mindset that one day he will indeed make it outdoors and back to his family. If he even has a family. Who knows how a fly's social system is arranged...

A stretch? Perhaps. Maybe the fly really doesn't have any trace of a short-term memory and is just mindlessly throwing himself at the window because he doesn't know any better. Let me remind you, however, that perception is everything and we have no idea what the fly is actually thinking. I implore you to go along with this because I think we can learn something from this fly. Especially in the case of not smoking, no matter how daunting it seems or how awful it feels to curb that craving, you must have faith that one day it's going to be better. Science tells us that after two weeks the cravings will begin to ease up significantly and it won't be so awful. Not only will it not be so bad, but it will be better, too. Your health is constantly improving by you doing nothing about the craving. That's right, by you NOT doing anything, you're improving your quality of life. How awesome is that? Exactly.

So, be strong, friends. Be persistent. Be a fly. Like the fly hitting the window repeatedly, resisting cigarettes may hurt your head and may seem stupid, but soon you will make it outdoors and back to a better life. Trust me.

Keeping The Pace (Second Post In One Day)

First and foremost, pardon me for smothering you.

Arlington has always been my home, but never in the way it has been these past few months. Needless to say, life is much different once you're responsible for your own. Among the many recreational opportunities in our fair town/county, I chose to explore the Pacers' bi-weekly evening fun run.

Fun is an understatement.

I met several characters when I got there and before we set out.

Fiona: Not to be confused with Ms. Fiona Apple, though I did devise a rather unusual way to remember her name involving Norman Rockwell and apple pie. She's one of the leaders of the group.

Janet: The next face I met bore no resemblance to my great aunt but that's not surprising since they are in no way related. She mentioned someone named Justin in passing. Perhaps a significant other?

Ellen: Another leader of the evening fun runs. I didn't learn much about her, besides that she's very nice.

Jeff: A lawyer and ultra runner. I'm not sure any more needs to be said.

Mark: Another lawyer, but I think he's also in the Army. We talked a little more at length after the run. His aunt and uncle live near my parents and he's very social.

Brad: The man. A 54-year-old Navy chaplain. He and I led the pack for the evening. Yes, it was a fun run but we were in front and I'd be denying my human nature if I didn't say I enjoyed that at least a little. Brad is from Minnesota and has a daughter and a son. He kept telling everyone I gave him a run for his money, but it was really the other way around. I was hurting afterwards.

We did a 4.25 mile loop around town and ended up right back where we started for some cold water and socializing. I think I'm going to enjoy doing these runs. I have my brother to thank for encouraging me to get out and try one.

Test Taker. Heartbreaker?

Sorry it's been so long! I'll bet you thought I was dead!

I'd probably lose a lot of money on that but just to make sure, I'm writing this blog entry. I just happen to be staring the beast right in the face. I've been craving a cigarette for most of the afternoon and I have a choice, as we often do. I can walk two blocks to the 7-11 and grab a pack, smoke enough to get me through then toss the rest trying to live down the shame and the setback, or I can stay here and resolve to do something about it. I've decided to take one step towards the latter by exposing my struggle on here.

I could have kept this to myself and my journal, but all too often I feel like we give into urges because we tell ourselves we have no choice. Perhaps there are rare cases where we are somehow mystically relieved of free-will, but it's my belief that reality kills 99.9% of one way streets. What is an impulse, then? It's no absolute power, that's for sure. No matter how much you want to believe it, you have a choice. Why are these choices so hard to make, even decipher? Is it because we have a natural appetite for self-destruction? Is it merely because it's so hard to choose between good choices (real or perceived)?

Or is it because of instant gratification? Just as an impulse is a quick decision, it's often related to a quick fix. A cigarette would have made me feel better for a time, but perhaps not even until I'm done with one. Eating makes people feel better for a time, until their stomachs complain, they start to gain weight and their teeth rot. Porn makes lots of people feel better for a few seconds, until they realize that they're still alone in the room and their new best friend only exists behind the screen.

Maybe when we're fighting these urges, it would be good of us to consider the long term, even the medium term. Not only that, but trust ourselves to make the right decision. We almost always fall into doubt that we won't feel as bad this time, or that the next bud light really is going to fix all our problems, but we know that's not true and we have to trust that knowledge. We have to say no, no matter how much I want this, I know exactly where it leads and I'm going to trust myself. Then, we have to take the road less traveled. Even one measly step, lifting your weak foot in that direction will make you see that you've made the right decision. You're stronger now and you're no longer a slave to what you thought you had no power over.

Rule #2: (Don't) Use Any [Excuse] Necessary

Despite the positive end result, quitting is not all fun and games. Many physical symptoms can accompany withdrawal including fatigue, anxiety, depression, hunger, insomnia, and bowel irregularity. This time around, I've been fighting the latter two and this past Tuesday night I got fed up and caved in. All I wanted was to be asleep before 3am and go to the bathroom like I used to be able to. The only immediate cure for these symptoms seemed to be a cigarette, so I had two on Wednesday morning around 2am. Soon thereafter I had a successful bowel movement and went to sleep. Sure, it was a pleasant couple minutes but it was a big step backwards. As I've learned in my class, I needed to evaluate what happened and why.

If you're anything like me, when you really want something you'll do almost anything to get it. Well Tuesday night, my brain really wanted a cigarette and it was going to manipulate my situation any way it could for an excuse to smoke. This is something we're taught to watch for when quitting. I watched for it, saw it, and let it happen. It all started with stressful family interactions. Conversation in the living room and then it was just me watching TV at 1am, wide awake. Sometimes when I can't sleep, I use alcohol for what's called a "night cap". A glass of wine or a beer sometimes helps me fall asleep. Unfortunately, my brain had more in mind than sleep. I was going to drink a glass of wine which would inhibit my judgement just enough so that I couldn't be blamed for smoking. Sure enough, I had my wine and then felt little remorse in digging my cigarettes out of the trash and smoking two.

All this to say, if you're quitting or thinking about it, be wary of making excuses. They sound so good but you and I both know they're not. You can do this.

Rule #1: Don't Think About It

This morning at 10am I celebrated 48 hours smoke-free...with a bowl of cereal...ok, it wasn't a real celebration but I have been smoke-free for almost 60 hours now. From this and past experiences I've figured out that one of the cardinal rules of quitting is to not think about quitting. Don't just put smoking out of your mind, put not smoking out of your mind, too. Thinking about either of these things still eventually leads to thinking about smoking, a craving, a caving, and a smoke. Ok, you deserve a little more credit than that, but let's try not to take any chances we don't have to.

So when you start to think about smoking, the correct course of action is to completely switch gears. It doesn't happen magically but you want to get to some other thought train as soon as you can change your ticket. When I'm confronted with smoking thoughts I'll try and think about FIFA 2010 and how my team isn't doing so well mid-season or what errands I need to run or what I could be doing around the house. If you're already busy, it's easy to just return your thoughts to the task at hand.

The human brain is a powerful thing. Don't let the enemy use your own weapon against you.

Man vs. Cigarette

Look! I wrote a haiku about Boston.

In the summer,

Boston is very nice.

The trees sway.

I even looked up haiku online and followed the rules. I forget what they are now but trust me, I followed them. Yes, the middle line only has 6 syllables but one of them counts as 2 or something. Ah well, i hope you enjoyed it!

In other news, I thought it would be good to follow up on my last entry so I'm not just blowing smoke everywhere. In fact, I haven't blown any smoke since yesterday morning at 10am. This new leaf could be for real and it has included a last effort to quit smoking for good. In the spirit of this effort, I signed up for a class at Arlington Hospital called "Quit for Good". It meets tonight and I'm awfully excited. I've also rearranged my room, started sleeping in a different bed, and moved my playstation into my room. Instead of eating breakfast in front of the TV, I've resolved to start enjoying my morning meal on the back porch. I've also made an effort to make my room a little more like a semi-permanent living space as it seems like I won't be going anywhere terribly soon.

All this to say, I'm following through. For those of you in my situation, be encouraged. Depression and smoking are both things that can be overcome and I hope I can show you that. I'm going to start blogging about things and hopefully this will be helpful.

The End of Lady-Scented Bodywash

Good Morrow Blog Followers,

Turns out I don't even use body wash. I'm still a bar-soap man. But if you haven't already, you should watch the new old spice commercial (http://www.youtube.com/user/oldspice?v=uLTIowBF0kE&feature=pyv&ad=5066079497&kw=old%20spice&gclid=CNG9vPzm46ICFclL5QodxT8sUw) and tell me how he gets those jeans on!

No, the title of this entry is just a metaphor. Today, I was in the backyard having a smoke and the U2 song "Where The Streets Have No Name" came up on my internal jukebox. The line that says "I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside" kept repeating and suddenly, I felt inspired. The last two weeks of my life have been some of the worst weeks of the past two years, and it's been because of these walls that have been holding me inside of my own head (I know this is getting sentimental, but bear with me). I looked around me at all the butts I'd carelessly tossed into the yard in my parents' absence and I realized I had to make a change. They were all wet and burnt out and that's exactly how I've been feeling. The hardest part about being depressed is how it traps you inside. All you can think about is yourself and how depressed you are. As a consequence, anything that seems like it may be a strain on your already exhausted psyche goes straight out the window. This becomes a problem when the only things that will make you feel better are just that. I know that running makes me feel better, but that involves putting on shorts and exerting myself. Sounds simple, but I was lower than low. I've maybe showered 4 times and have spent most of my time half-dressed or less inside this house.

Anyways, the running was just an example of how short-sighted depression can make you. All that being said, I'd like to think that life is more than just feeling good. Being depressed, you can do things that make you feel good but that doesn't make life better. It has to be more than feeling good, there has to be something else. It's the difference between drinking until your face goes numb and cleaning the kitchen to your favorite tunes; between smoking a cigarette and doing tai chi; between eating half a carton of ice cream and going for a jog. All this things can make someone feel good, but to what end? It's thrown up a cautionary flag for me. Be careful of today's "live in the moment" society. Sure, it's a good idea, but it can't be taken too far. There isn't always going to be a quick return or instant gratification, no matter how much we want it. Smoking isn't going to instantly implode my lungs the same way taking a jog isn't going to instantly give me the calves of a donkey. These things take time and investing in the future is something I think often slips our collective consciousness. And depression (to bring this full circle) certainly shortens our sight. So today I'm resolving to break down the walls that block my vision of the future. I never thought I'd take the words of Bono to mean anything, and this sounds super cheesy, I know; but you know it's true ;-)

More Somerville + Acadia National Park

Good Morning,

Well, Somerville has been difficult these past few days without my brother around. There's just something about traveling by oneself that gets lonely after a while. I went through about seven movies and 2 packs of cigarettes this week. I've thrown the last cigarettes away and this morning we're leaving for Maine. We had a lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs with broccoli and vanilla yogurt with granola, topped off with a spot of coffee from the french press. I'm pretty excited about camping at Acadia National Park while my brother goes to a wedding in Bar Harbor. I hope to bring back lots of pictures and possibly stories to add to this blog. Wahoo!

Anywho, I hope you all have a great weekend and I'll be back Monday evening!

Somerville!

I'm terribly sorry about the gap, friends. Unfortunately, I cannot change the past so I'm just going to get on with things.

Today I'm in Somerville, Massachusetts. It's a lovely 60ish degrees and sunny out and I'm sitting in my brother's room writing. There's something about this town that I love and I can't put my finger on it. Perhaps it's coming out of the subway station and not seeing concrete and a thin layer of soot on everything. Maybe it's the gorgeous summer weather. Maybe it's the large number of bikers and pedestrians. Maybe it's in the air or not having to use a car even to get groceries. Whatever it is, I'm really enjoying it here and I've only been here since Friday night. Saturday night was a party on my brother's fiance's (we'll call her "Ellie") place and last night was dinner at Ellie's after we took Zach to the airport. He goes to Houston, TX every month for work stuff. Sad, but true.

Today, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I've given some thought to going to the Harpoon Brewery at 4pm for a tasting. I may just find a park somewhere, perhaps even the Common, and just relax for a while. The possibilities are truly endless.

In other news, you can check out my trip in pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/putnam.eric

New York - Day 5

HI KIDS!

It's me! Wahhhh.

Ok, so day 5 was much cooler than day 4 and I'm going to tell you why.

I made my way downtown around the same time as I do anything everyday. I stopped by Bits, Bites, and Baguettes for a three egg omelet made by a guy who called me "boss". Then it was off to Ground Zero. I always used to think Ground Zero was so over sensationalized and all that, until yesterday when I was actually there. Even though it's only a construction site now, it was still crazy and I got kind of emotional. It was weird as I got closer to it and I started to recognize some of the buildings from the news footage on that fateful day. Anyways, now they're building a replacement tower which is huge. From there I wound around to Battery park and walked down the Jersey side to Pier A. From there, I made my way to Wall Street to see the NYSE and the place where Rage Against the Machine played. Baller. Next, I hopped on the 2/3 train and rode to Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn for the most anticipated sight of the trip: 560 State Street, Jay-Z's old stash spot. I saw it and it was great. It's like an apartment building. Anyways. I planned to walk back to the Brooklyn bridge and then pick up the train back to Harlem but I was too tired. I did wander down Atlantic Avenue a bit and I found The Flying Saucer. This awesome little coffee bar with a garden out back. I cooled my heels there with a cup of joe, then made my way back to the train station. Along the way I noticed that I had to be in the Islamic part of Brooklyn. Nothing but restaurants that had lamb and shish, and stores that sold prayer rugs and head dresses. Crazy. Then I made my way back to Harlem on the train and the rest is history.

New York - Day 4

Howdy!

Yesterday (Sunday) was another fairly uneventful day. Rose around 10am and then we watched some TV for a while. After that, Becca had a meeting at 2pm, so we decided we'd walk her to her meeting and then run back here. Our plans for exercise were squandered when we decided to walk for about 6 miles and we were starting to get a little sore. We hit up Jamba Juice when we finally arrived at our destination and then Jess and I took the 6 back to 125th street.

The rest of the day is history, really. We sat around, watched TV, read, etc. Sushi for dinner (tasty), then an early bedtime because today is a school day.

Speaking of today, I'm getting ready to head to the subway for some adventures downtown and beyond! A longer entry tomorrow for sure!

- Eric

New York - Day 3

Wow. Day 3??

It was relatively uneventful. I'm still on the fence as to whether this was a good thing or not. Since Friday night was such a late night, we woke up pretty late yesterday morning. Actually, around this time (10:00am) and then hung out around the apartment until noon. Then, we traveled over to the Columbia University area and went to this place called Havana Central with some of Becca's friends. It was tasty. As usual, I went for the sandwich with avocado in it. Very tasty. After lunch, we wanted to get some exercise to get the digestion moving, so we walked over to this Episcopal Cathedral. Boy, I wish I had pictures. Maybe I'll go get some pictures today, but it was gorgeous! And to add to the awesomeness, we were walking out of one of the many side chapels inside, and out of nowhere this group of Tibetan monks just comes walking by. When does that happen? Apparently, they are in New York to do some art at the cathedral. Like a "sand painting" or something crazy. Anyways.

After the Cathedral, we came back to home base and I saw Becca off for her date at 4. Then I just hung out for a while by myself and fell into a deep (2 hour) sleep here on the couch. Following my slumber, I had dinner at "Cafe Latte" and then took a walk down towards Central Park. I was hoping to make it down there before dark, but I wasn't that lucky. I had to turn around down by the projects and head back. After I got back, Jess and Becca and I watched a bunch of their DVR shows and then went to bed.

Now that the play-by-play is done, it's been an interesting experience being here in Harlem. I've never felt like such a minority. I'm literally the only white person around when Becca and Jess are at work. I know you might think I'm exaggerating but I'm not, and to be honest I feel pretty intimidated. Even though I try not to act like it, I'm a little scared for my safety, just because of how I've been conditioned to view places like Black Harlem. Granted, I may have some reason to be afraid at night in the projects, but so does everyone. I'm talking about just walking around during the day time, it's just so bizarre being alone like this. Whew. But I'm getting better. I haven't had any experiences with outright harassment or anything so that helps obviously. These are all people just like you and me. We're all just people.

- Eric

New York - Day 2

Buenos Dias!

Ah, today's started off as a beautiful, partly cloudy day. But enough about today. Let's review yesterday's festivities:

I rose around 7:15am, because that's when my hostesses left for work. I decided to wash the dishes from Thursday night because I feel like I should probably pull my weight around here. Then, just as I was getting ready to head out for a day on the town, the heavens opened up and I think I literally saw a few cats and dogs falling from the sky (it started raining really hard). Needless to say, my trip downtown was postponed and I worked on my grad school apps instead. After making good progress on those, the weather finally shaped up and I headed to the subway. A luxury we in the DC metro area enjoy is that you can never enter a subway station going the wrong direction. You can always move about the station and switch trains as you please. However, in other cities I've learned this is not the case. I bought my week pass yesterday and proceeded to enter the 125th Street station going uptown instead of downtown. I had to leave that platform and could not use my MetroCard for another 18 minutes. Smart for them, not so smart on my part. So I walked down the street and found this little place called The Apollo (ever heard of it?) and many other gems (White Castle, C-Town grocery). When my 18 minutes were up I headed downtown and got off at Times Square - 42nd Street.

Oh my goodness.

Rarely are we ever mesmerized on this level, I feel, but when I got out of that subway station, all I could do was stare up. There were huge screens everywhere flashing all kinds of adds, there were people everywhere, horns, sirens, Red Lobster even had a robot lobster hanging off the front of the building (yes, there's a Red Lobster in times square). I walked around for about 2 hours and realized at the end of it all that I had actually only visited one place (Toys R Us). I was paying attention, but I wasn't at the same time. There was just so much to take in! I did get some neat pictures and see the Naked Cowboy. It's this dude in briefs, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat singing and playing guitar. Quite a (hilarious) sight. Another noteworthy aspect of times square: in the Toys R Us, there's a candy section. Within this candy section, there's a kiosk of sorts, full of M&Ms and you can mix and match your own bag of ANY colors you want. Black, white, tan, maroon, red, green, blue, dark blue, light blue, purple...it's insane! Bwahh!

After Times Square I came back to home base and took a nap. Around 7, we headed to Brooklyn to see April Smith and her band. They were fannnnstastic! I recommend checking them out. Oh look, a link! http://www.myspace.com/aprilsmithmusic . Also, I had a Brooklyn Brewery Blast! DIPA while at this club. It was pretty tasty! If you're in the area, it's definitely worth a try.

Anyways, the evening pretty much ended after that. Wahoo.

New York - Day 1

Good Morning from the Big Apple!

It's about 7:34am on Lennox Avenue and there is a firetruck outside the window doing something involving its sirens. Anyways...

Last evening I arrived safely, albeit an hour and a half late, and successfully navigated the New York subway system to end up here at Becca and Jess's apartment. The late arrival was due to the real meaning of traffic that is found just before the Lincoln Tunnel. Seriously, it probably took us that last hour and a half to go about 4 or 5 miles. So our scheduled arrival was 5:50pm and we probably didn't get in until about 7:20. From there, I walked to the subway, took the 3 train to 125th street and walked the rest of the way. When I got here, there were already folks gathered, eating chips and peanuts and hanging out. We had a grand time, complete with sausage, pepper, and onion sandwiches courtesy of Chef Jessica. I got to meet lots of new people that are part of this weekly tradition, aptly named "Thursday Night Dinner". After everyone had left, we took in an episode of Community and an episode of 30 Rock and then it was time for bed.

I slept well overall. Considering the circumstances at least. I'm not complaining, but when you're on a couch in someone's living room in New York, it's not terribly easy to fall asleep. But I did it and I feel ready to start the day!

In other news, I've started reading a book called "Cure for the Common Life" by Max Lucado. My dad gave it to me for graduation (yeah, it happened) and I cracked it open on the bus. It's pretty interesting. I'll post more about it when I've solidified thoughts. Maybe you should read it...

Happy Friday! (And Happy Birthday to Lindsay P Laval!)

New England - Departure

Good Morning!

It's about 11:13am in Arlington, Virginia and all is well. I'm near finished packing and my [mega]bus leaves at 1:30pm. My next door neighbor, Walter White, has kindly agreed to give me a lift downtown to the bus stop. From there, I'll be headed right into the heart of NYC (aka The Big Apple) for some visiting time with Becca and Jess. I'm very much looking forward to it. Also, it'll be nice to get away from the homestead and see the world. I don't know how you other graduates are feeling, but it's about time this bird left the nest. From NY, I'll be headed up to Connecticut, then Boston, then Acadia National Park, then Boston, then maybe even back through NYC. I mean, the possibilities are endless. I plan on updating this blog daily, hopefully with pictures. Never fear, uploading them from Boston was a problem because I forgot the camera cable, but this time my computer has an SD card reader, so no excuses!

Well, I'd better finish packing and then clean up a bit so the place doesn't look like a complete disaster area when i leave. Take care now!

- Eric

Mile Monday (It's Institution and Other History)

Hi Friends (and Foes),

Even though the idea for this weekly day of running (opposite of Sabbath) probably wasn't my idea, I'd like to take some time out of our regular schedules to explain a little about it. As you know, today is Monday and another celebration of the infamous "Mile Run". Back in November 2009, my zest for the art of running returned out of necessity. At the time I was training for the 8th Annual Trot for Hunger in Washington, D.C. and found myself (among other things) pretty out of shape. On top of that, I felt like I didn't know how things were coming along. I ran 3 or 4 days a week but couldn't be sure whether anything was actually happening. After I ran that race, I committed myself to a more serious running regimen which involved what is known today as Mile Monday. It sprang from a little tidbit I'd read on Runner's World as a good way to keep track of one's progress. I've been very thankful for all it has become, which is much more than a gauge on my athletic prowess. Mile Monday has become something to look forward to every week, a testament to my own willpower and potential, and some of the most fun I have in the span of seven days. Every time I set off on my route, I make a pact with myself to finish no matter what happens. This proves useful about 2 minutes in when I really start feeling the tax on my body. From there on out, it's an epic battle between my mind and the alliance between the rest of my body systems. My heart, lungs, and skeletal muscles make a good case to stop and rest but fortunately my mind is able to ultimately prevail. I never regret it, either. Though I might feel a little sick after I've cooled down, it's always too rewarding to give up. Here's to another lovely Mile Monday! Cheers!

Today's Time = 6:19

Official Timer: Timex