I am currently a student and taking classes. I've been reading, and today I spent two hours applying for positions where I know they're looking for people (Craigslist ads). I'm doing Bio right now.. but I still have too much damned free time.
Thanks for the suggestions, folks. Keep 'em coming.
My advice is to try to make new friends and keep yourself occupied. Getting out of relationships can be a very rough time. You can always try online dating, it's never worked for me, but it can work.
This is good advice. I appreciate your input. Sounds very much like Lieutenant Jimmy Cross from The Things They Carried.
I just wrote the letter to say what I wanted to say. I didn't really expect a certain reaction. My driving purpose was to just express what I felt I never got the chance to, not bring her back to me. The only thing I want is to be remembered.
It's definitely an admirable sentiment. I am the kind of person who can't sleep soundly without knowing that I tried my best at something, and fought for it when the time is right, so I can empathize with you here. I hope she likes the letter - and remember, as long as you do everything to the best of your ability, someone will remember you. Be it an ex-girlfriend, a spouse, a child, or a great many people.
I am great at giving advice. However, I suck at advising myself. My ex-girlfriend recently broke up with me, very amicably actually, and I basically want suggestions as to what to do with my time. When I get the money, I plan on taking guitar lessons, i've been riding my motorcycle more, and i've redoubled my job hunt, but I still have too much free time for my liking.
There is this thing called trying too hard. Many of us have been there, and it almost never works out.
You can't take your actions back, so don't regret them. I wrote my very recent ex-girlfriend a 6 page letter and a heartfelt poem.. and then BURNED them because in the end, they usually don't help. If you want to say something special and important to someone.. say it. They'll usually appreciate it more.
Take it from someone who almost ruined a 4 year friendship because I was rebounding from a girl i'd dated for a year and was madly in love with:
WAIT TO DATE. You will not regret it in the long run. It will hurt. It will be difficult. It will feel as if parts of you are being torn to pieces and stomped on. It will be worth it.
Sound advice from many people in this thread - have patience. Build yourself up. Take up a hobby, read, learn to play an instrument. Do productive things to stay busy and preoccupied. In a couple months, you'll look back and sigh.
"If you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill
"There must be something rotten in the very core of a social system which increases its wealth without diminishing its misery, and increases in crimes even more rapidly than in numbers." - Karl Marx
"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened." - Winston Churchill
The first is basically the summary of my life, heh.
I definitely agree, Big Jim. I have a very vigilant attitude towards guns and plan on practicing marksmanship at least monthly, and considering I hand load my own ammunition, it will be financially feasible. As for cleaning and gun care, I plan on attaining the proficiency to assemble and reassemble my handgun (I'm purchasing a Glock 17 shortly) and be able to service it fully with ease.
I would say that your best bet is to read anything and everything you can reasonably get your hands on. I have been reading at a college level since the end of middle school simply because I had read so much, and I now write on a semi-professional level and read beyond. In the end, your skills will only increase through practice.
If you have a professor or adviser that you're close to, I recommend going to them and strategizing ways to practice reading and writing on those high levels that you seek to attain. Over time, you will develop the necessary skills.
Personally, I would say begin writing for 15 minutes a day for a month. Then, work up by 5 to 10 minute intervals in a period of 2 weeks to a month, gradually increasing until you are writing 30+ minutes a day with fluidity.
Would a gun aficionado enlighten me as to the alleged benefits of concealed carry vs open carry?
sdematt pretty much hit it on the head with his explanation. There are certain psychological reasons for carrying concealed. In Oregon, it is legal to open carry, but considering that Eugene is one of the liberal capitals of the world, you would be likely to have an MWAG called on you. (Man Wielding a Gun). Carrying concealed allows you to have the capability to defend yourself in life or death situations.
The justifications in Oregon for shooting someone are very very limited. You must be in a situation where deadly physical force (Defined as force capable of causing severe injury or death - This could be another person wielding a gun, it could be a situation of 4 against one where the four have weapons, or someone charging you with a knife, it varies from situation to situation.) can reasonably be expected to be used against you, and you must have reasonably exhausted EVERY alternate means of resolving the situation, via running, driving away, locking yourself in a room, et cetera.
However, in Texas, if someone is trespassing on your property, you are allowed to shoot them without warning.
Thanks for the suggestions, folks. Keep 'em coming.
It's definitely an admirable sentiment. I am the kind of person who can't sleep soundly without knowing that I tried my best at something, and fought for it when the time is right, so I can empathize with you here. I hope she likes the letter - and remember, as long as you do everything to the best of your ability, someone will remember you. Be it an ex-girlfriend, a spouse, a child, or a great many people.
Suggestions?
You can't take your actions back, so don't regret them. I wrote my very recent ex-girlfriend a 6 page letter and a heartfelt poem.. and then BURNED them because in the end, they usually don't help. If you want to say something special and important to someone.. say it. They'll usually appreciate it more.
WAIT TO DATE. You will not regret it in the long run. It will hurt. It will be difficult. It will feel as if parts of you are being torn to pieces and stomped on. It will be worth it.
Sound advice from many people in this thread - have patience. Build yourself up. Take up a hobby, read, learn to play an instrument. Do productive things to stay busy and preoccupied. In a couple months, you'll look back and sigh.
"There must be something rotten in the very core of a social system which increases its wealth without diminishing its misery, and increases in crimes even more rapidly than in numbers." - Karl Marx
"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened." - Winston Churchill
The first is basically the summary of my life, heh.
Do you own a motorcycle?
Also, we can broaden this thread to all awesome forms of transportation. If you have a sweet ride, post it. I love me a good piece of machinery.
I personally love the sport aspect of riding, but it is also reliable, cheap transportation. And chicks dig it. (:cool:)
Post pics of your ride, if you have one.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/198/cbr3.jpg/
(Having difficulty with the IMG tags..)
If you have a professor or adviser that you're close to, I recommend going to them and strategizing ways to practice reading and writing on those high levels that you seek to attain. Over time, you will develop the necessary skills.
Personally, I would say begin writing for 15 minutes a day for a month. Then, work up by 5 to 10 minute intervals in a period of 2 weeks to a month, gradually increasing until you are writing 30+ minutes a day with fluidity.
sdematt pretty much hit it on the head with his explanation. There are certain psychological reasons for carrying concealed. In Oregon, it is legal to open carry, but considering that Eugene is one of the liberal capitals of the world, you would be likely to have an MWAG called on you. (Man Wielding a Gun). Carrying concealed allows you to have the capability to defend yourself in life or death situations.
The justifications in Oregon for shooting someone are very very limited. You must be in a situation where deadly physical force (Defined as force capable of causing severe injury or death - This could be another person wielding a gun, it could be a situation of 4 against one where the four have weapons, or someone charging you with a knife, it varies from situation to situation.) can reasonably be expected to be used against you, and you must have reasonably exhausted EVERY alternate means of resolving the situation, via running, driving away, locking yourself in a room, et cetera.
However, in Texas, if someone is trespassing on your property, you are allowed to shoot them without warning.