Sinking into Sweet Uncertainty

"Sweetness," Jimmy Eat World

SUMMMMEEERRR'S HERE! AND, we leave for Greece in less than 3 weeks! It's finally time for me to actually start going through and unpacking the boxes I've quietly let rest in the hidden corners of the guest room and the dining room.

Tim and I went to the Del Mar Fair yesterday and met up with three of my college friends; Joe, Thalia, and Brett, who I haven't seen in years. First of all, I'm really excited because Thalia and Brett recently moved to Del Mar! Second of all, we paid two dollars each to gain the privilege (word choice?) to view a 3,500 pound cow and a 19-hand tall horse (A "hand" on a horse is equal to approximately 4 inches; 19 hands is massive). These poor animals were not only enormous, but crammed into pens hardly big enough to hold them. It's pretty pathetic that the fair gains enough of a profit from eager--creepy?-- fair-goers to actually justify putting the animals on display, although I can't really judge seeing as how I completely added to the overall revenue. As a side note, the side of the cow's barn boasted that the cow could potentially make "10,000 hamburgers!" Completely. Unnecessary. Information.

The U.S. Open was at Torrey Pines from Thursday until today, and Tim went to watch on Thursday. Jody's fiance, John Merrick, kicked ass and placed 7th overall, which is incredible. I have an enormous amount of respect as well as awe for golfers, seeing as how I possess virtually ZERO patience, precision, or dexterity while on a golf course. I am, however, a practiced and professional "divot-maker," a skill I handily picked up from repeatedly smashing my driver into the putting greens. There was a tie for first at the Open today, and the tie-breaker consists of a full 18-holes tomorrow between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate. I can't imagine having to complete another grueling 4-5 hours of competition to determine a winner. The USGA needs to come up with an alternative, like a golf shoot out or a 5-minute "sudden death" scenario.

I'm reading The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien right now. I read Going After Cacciato in college and loved it, and I've heard from multiple sources that The Things They Carried is even better. The first chapter consists primarily of items, given in list format, that Vietnam soldiers carried with them; both literally as well as metaphorically. The first chapter alone makes me realize how very little I can relate to or understand what being a soldier would actually feel like, although it's hard not to feel a surge of respect for the individuals who choose the military.

"...Some carried white phosphorus grenades. They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried."
-Tim O'Brien