Heading towards a New

It has been far too long, but what I've discovered is that this blog has been somewhat therapeutic for me. So, when I don't write, things, for the most part, are going well. The reason I write now is because I am compelled by inspiration and I've discovered the time and motivation to do so.

To recap the last few months or so. Last time you all tuned in I was having eye surgery to straighten out my peepers. The eye surgery went well, but the docs needed to go back in this March to re-straighten them. Apparently, the Botox was a bit too strong and, after going inward, my eyes slowly began to creep outward. Kinda scary!
So, for the surgery in March the doc tightened two of the muscles and put adjustable sutures that dangled from each eye. As I woke up the doc pulled on each suture until my eyes were aligned. Freakin' crazy!

Since then my eyes are slowly getting better, but are straight. The facial nerve continues to grow and gain strangth. I can creep a grin and hope to wrok my way to a grimace. Then, look out smile! I'm extremely hopeful that everything will workout in time.

School is going very well, and I've slowly worked my way up to full-time which continues to exhaust me. I've changed to an International MBA and was accepted to DU's Graduate School of International Studies, so I'll be getting a dual-degree there in Global Finance, Trade, and Economic Integration. Pretty heavy duty. Also, I'm looking to start driving, with supervision, in the next couple weeks or so.

All in all, things are going very well. I can now see the light at the end of this long and circuitous tunnel. I always knew it was there, but I never realized how far it was. I have learned and continue to learn about myself and others through this experience. And I leave you with another quote by Lao Tzu, cuz that's how I roll:

In the beginning was the Tao.
All things issue from it;
all things return to it.

To fnd the origin,
trace back to the manifestations.
When you recognize the children
and find the mother,
you will be free from sorrow.

If you close your mind in judgments
and traffic with desires,
your heart will be troubled.
If you keep your mind from judging
and aren't led by the senses,
your heart will find peace.

Seeing into darkness is clarity.
Knowing how to yield is strength.
Use your own light
and return to the source of light.
This is called practicing eternity.

I can't say it's the end

I apologize to all of you who are still devoted readers of this blog for my extended absence. Grad school has taken a great deal of time and brain power. I am now done with my first quarter and have nothing but rave reviews. Call me crazy (but not to my face), but I love school. I never thought I'd say that, but it is very nice to back in the academic environment. I have met some amazing people and know that the next year and half will be time well spent. I'm sure that the plethora of experiences that await me will be both novel and diverse.

Next Thursday, the 6th, I'll be having eye surgery where they'll unsew my right eye (it's about freakin' time) and straighten both eyes. The recovery is about 3 months and then they'll decide whether a second, and final, surgery is necessary. The reason for the long recovery time is that the doctor will transfer pull from the outside muscles, which are shot, to the top and bottom muscles which will cause the eye to pull out. Then, the inner muscle will be shot with Botox causing it to become paralyzed. As the Botox wears off, thus the 3 month time line, the eye will be become straight. Hopefully, that explanation made sense. I find this stuff extremely interesting, so I'm hopeful that my loyal readers do as well.

I start the next quarter January 3rd, so I'll have to find a way to once again adjust to change. I am just so ecstatic that a monumental event is taking place and that the next step in this process is occurring. While it has been difficult I have had so much support from everyone around me and I've discovered that with a positive attitude life is a bit easier. I don't want to preach, but... I am a Fatalist by nature. I truly believe that every event is predestined and this experience has only strengthened that understanding. I have never, and will never, regret any event or experience I've had or will have. They have all made me the man I am.

I leave you with thanks, and a quote from the Tao Te Ching:

Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power.

If you realize you have enough,
you are truly rich.
If you stay in the center
and embrace death with your whole heart,
you will endure forever.

Droppin' some knowledge

Did you know that the root word for "compete" is "competere" from Latin meaning com - 'together' and petere - 'aim at, seek'. Just something to think about.

If you can make it here...

I recognize that it has been over two months since I’ve blessed y’all with an entry. I’m sure you’ve all been checking daily, some of you hourly (you know who you are), hoping to get a little hit of blogijuana. Well friends, inhale, slowly exhale, and don’t screw up the rotation because your summer fix is here.

I have just returned from the city that never sleeps. The apple that is so huge they named it twice. Um, did I get something confused there? New York, New York big city of dreams. I was privileged to stay with my fellow Peace Corps Volunteer and trainer during my stage, Andy, at his place in Harlem. I was the quintessential tourist and took a ton of pictures and ran myself ragged. From the Statue of Liberty to the Empire State Building to the United Nations I subwayed from street to avenue and back again. I took in a rather humorous burlesque show that featured a well-impersonated Molly Ringwald, and ate at one of Bill Clinton’s BBQ haunts, Sylvie’s. In between all this I was able to visit with a few of my Peace Corps buddies and do some catching. Needless to say I had an absolutely amazing time. This was my first trip to New York City and will certainly not be my last. My Peace Corps friends were trying to convince me to move there, and I would certainly consider it. But first grad school, then the world!

Denver University starts in two and a half months and I’m very ready to start working on something with a bit more staying power and consistency. Right now, I’m gearing up for a very hot summer (97 degrees yesterday?! Oh crap!). So, get your glass of lemonade and come chill with me by the pool of life. The lifeguard is never off duty, the water is a temperate 80 degrees, and it’s never adult swim…

How far...

Photo 1: In the hospital in Yaounde, Cameroon a couple days after my accident with the Peace Corps' Doctor Laura Stonehill.

Photo 2: My transport from Yaounde to Johannesburg, South Africa.


My Country Director in Cameroon just sent me the above photos from right after my injury. It definitely shows me how far I've come. Man, my head was swollen, and it wasn't even my ego. So, I suppose it's time for an update.

I've started getting minimal movement on my left side, so the surgery has been postponed or canceled until this summer. My eye surgery has been further delayed to see if movement returns. It could be until the end of the year or more before any surgery is scheduled. I'm sort of getting used to having one eye, but it would be great to have them both back, then I can drive again. I do love public transport, though.

I took the GMAT in February and was accepted to Daniels School of Business at Denver University just last week. So, I'll probably be attending there in the fall and begin work towards my Masters.

I just came back from Vegas a week ago where I helped build more massive casinos through my craps and roulette donations. I'm looking forward to traveling to NYC to see some Peace Corps buddies in June and then back to Vegas in September for my sister's 21st. I love the Vegas.

I think that's about it. I really just wanted to share the gruesome picture with y'all and figured I should write a lil diddy. Anyhoo, hope everyone out in Internet land is doing well and looking forward to the summer.

St. Patrick's Day

To honor the upcoming Saint Patrick's Day, I'd like to share my favorite poem, "The Wayfarer" by Patrick Henry Pearse. What makes this poem so significant is the situation in which it was composed. Easter, 1916, a ragtag army of Irish Revolutionaries stormed the General Post Office in Dublin to declare Ireland's independence from the British Empire. The revolution, in the short run, was unsuccessful, and the Irish ringleaders were eventually executed by firing squad. P.H. Pearse while awaiting his execution wrote "The Wayfarer".

The Easter Rising, as it came to be called, eventually led to independence for the lower 26 counties of Ireland while the northern 6 counties remained under British control. After centuries of fighting there is renewed hope in Ireland that a peaceful solution will be found. The Irish struggle is a possible example for disputed territories like Palestine and Kashmir. And now Pearse's poem...

The beauty of the world hath made me sad,
This beauty that will pass;
Sometimes my heart hath shaken with great joy
To see a leaping squirrel in a tree,
Or a red lady-bird upon a stalk,
Or little rabbits in a field at evening,
Lit by a slanting sun,
Or some green hill where shadows drifted by
Some quiet hill where mountainy man hath sown
And soon would reap; near to the gate of Heaven;
Or children with bare feet upon the sands
Of some ebbed sea, or playing on the streets
Of little towns in Connacht,
Things young and happy,
And then my heart hath told me:
These will pass,
Will pass and change, will die and be no more,
Things bright and green, things young and happy;
And I have gone upon my way
Sorrowful.

Blog Promos

A couple of blogs to read for a taste of culture:

1) turistatorino.wordpress.com. My buddy Joe's blog. He is in Turin, Italy for the next week and should have some great pica and colorful commentary to shall with y'all.

2) www.guilbeau.net. My fellow Peace Corps buddy Hugh's blog. He left the Peace Corps a while back, and is now in Ethiopia with the VSO, the Canadian equivalent to the Peace Corps. He'll be there for the next couple years.

Enjoy them both! I know I will.