Well, last time I updated this thing, it was the end of July, now it's the middle of November. A lot has happened since then, to me, and to the world. I live in New Jersey right now, Newark to be exact. Within seeing distance of all of New York City, and about a 30 minute commute. I have been to the city quite a few times. I will get to that later.

Let's see, what do you want to hear? And what do I want to tell you? Not really sure where to begin. I dropped everthing at the end of August and left for Jersey, to see NYC and the rest of the East Coast / World. Moved into the dorms in downtown Newark, and started classes for my Masters Degree in Occupational Safety and Health Engineering. (Sounds impressive, but isn't. I will be a safety and health inspector / director when I am done.) Classes are slow, and long. Six to nine everynight of the week. No morning classes. I am the youngest person in my classes by 10 to 20 years. I really don't have all that much to do really. Not a lot of homework, just mid-terms and such, group projects, and a seminar class in Manhattan. My roommate is pretty cool, laid back. The school is nice. A lot of Indians, Chinese, Jordanish, Japanese, Pakistan, Hungarian, Turkish people here. I love the diversity. It's crazy. Thats just Newark. New York City is like a different planet. Only place in the world where people run up escalators. Truly the city that never sleeps. I did get lost in Harlem a couple of weeks ago, at 12 in the morning on a Saturday night. I don't suggest that. It was cool to see people walking their dogs, and doing things that we would normally see during the day. Everyone was on their own schedule. But I guess you can be on your own schedule when they have McDonalds that DELIVER. God Bless America. Yeah, I said it. Mac D's that DELIVERS. Genius. Pure Genius. Anyway, I what else. Not much really. Oh, Broadway is super sweet. I am going to see a couple shows here in the next couple of weeks. Probably Phantom of the Opera and Wicked. I still haven't taken the tour of NYC, so I will probably do that too. I am planning on going to Colorado and Vermont for some skiing, (Breckinridge and Killington). Should be a nice little break from being surrounded by miles and miles of concrete. I need to start working out on my legs. I work out about 4 times a week, and run a little and I have taken up swiming. Thats about it.

Let's see. What else. Not much really. When I am done with the East Coast, I am thinking about going a couple places. Colorado maybe. Work on becoming a ski bum, and get in better shape. Or, I was thinking of getting a job back home, and joining the Army, Navy, or Air Force Reserve. I hear you get commissioned as an Officer if you have your Masters. Just a thought. But, then, I was thinking, maybe I should join the Peace Corps. That will get me to the other side of the World, for free, for 2 years. Actually, 27 months. Learn a different language, and see things I might never get to see again, and help a bunch a people I may never be able to help again. But we will see. I am not sure if I will feel the need to leave the U.S. for 2 years after I graduate here.

Why do I feel the need to leave the U.S.? Well, it just feels like the world, or rather, my world, the world of relative safety I try to trick myself into thinking that I live in. Have you watched the news lately? The news in New York is a little different than the news in the Midwest. It's more graphic here. I hear some of the craziest most messed up shit here, that it makes your skin crawl. People unloading automatics at 1 year old birthday parties, rapes, muggings, robberies, stabbings in school. POLICE OFFICERS on TV afraid to show their face on TV, (they are blurred out), because they are afraid for their lives. When I was growing up, some of the meaner kids always used to talk about Crypts and Bloods. Well, they are real, and I read about their gangland assassinations in the paper. It's crazy. Sigh. Oh, and get this. I was reading on the internet this story about some guy who shot someone else with a shot gun and a revolver because they didn't believe in God.l The killing part is fine, people are murdered for dumb shit everyday. But the word "and" bothers me. A shotgun AND a revolver. That means that after he was done with the one gun, he went and got ANOTHER gun for lack of bullets, bad aim, what have you. If that isn't the most F-ed up thing you have ever heard, I don't know what is. Anyway.

Well, it's late, and I am going to head out. I will try to update this thing more often. Later.