The Fall of Man

Well, it's starting to feel like fall. At least up in Northern IL. Not so much yet here in Saint Louis, although there has been a cooler snap or two. For me, fall always takes me back; funny how a season associated with decay and death so frequently makes me think of so many things from my past that scream "life." I suppose that's always part of the dialectic though, life and death and so on and so forth. So anyhow, fall always takes me back to days of cross country, marching band, football games, campouts, Knox, etc. I don't think I'm the only one that feels this way though, perhaps that is one reason why homecoming is in the fall (that and of course football season being a bigger draw than basketball or baseball; heh). Additionally, it always seems to be around this time that I hear from people I haven't heard from in a while. I think being several months into the "school year" without seeing people you remember seeing then is part of it. Anyhow, this weekend I heard from two girls I hadn't spoken with in a while (one in about a year!) and last night I heard from the last roomie at ISU who I hadn't spoken with since early summer. I think the feeling remembered is just as important as the remembering. I would like to take this moment to encourage everyone to just call up a friend they haven't talked to in a while just to see how they're doing, let them know you're still alive, and that you still care, even if you don't always get the chance to hang with them or talk to them on a regular basis. Okay, enough with the sappy nostalgia.

Now the practical question becomes should I go to homecoming this weekend? Many people are saying yes, but I do sort of have plans to attend Fright Fest at 6 Flags. I suppose I could do Fright Fest another time, but I'm also supposed to get a good chunk of the rest of my possessions this weekend. Decisions, decisions.

In other news, I did terrible on PT test this weekend. Well, on the run part anyhow. I have about 180 days to remedy the situation. Went running last night, and shall continue to do so. On the plus side, I did shoot pretty well at rifle qualification. I wish we got the chance to shoot more often. The best part was when I got to help "expend all ammo," i.e. shoot-up the excess ammo that wasn't quite enough to box back up and return to supply.

Considering making a list of non-fiction books that I have read that I consider to be excellent reading for those interested in military/politics, or public health. Not quite sure how to make that work on this page, but I'll figure it out soon I hope. Until next time, Turbo Teddy out!