Findings

I wake up at seven in the morning after passing out at five and shuffle out of the door. It's a decent post-sunrise gleam. I sit by the railroad tracks and reflect over the decisions I've made so far. It's funny how inspiration can come from so many things. A contention I've become content with as of now...

Inspiration is finding an old fiend at a gas station.
Inspiration is driving to somewhere you could have easily walked to.
Inspiration is walking to a place that you could have easily driven to.
It's seeing a kid you used to hate back in high school and becoming fast friends.
It's protesting a political ideology that you actually support, just to spark conversation with people you'd usually avoid.
It's the first big fight in a marriage.
It's finding an old notebook scribbled with the names of bands you don't listen to anymore.
It's drunken fools on a weeknight.
Inspiration is writing outside on a bench at 4:30 in the morning when you know you have class at 10:00.
Inspiration is constantly being the good friend, because you're horrible at making the first move.
Inspiration is a relationship gone sour after keeping it for too long.
Inspiration is love on the rocks and a chaser of Hendrick's gin.
Inspiration is chain-smoking when you know that $7.50 a pack is way too expensive.
It's wearing the same shoes you wore seven years ago.
Inspiration is using a cheap, low-quality pen to write with, because it's what you wrote with back in high school.It's beer runs after 2:00 in the morning.
It's "standing" in the fire-lane while your friend runs in to grab money for booze.
It's praying when you know you've lost your faith.
It's playing an instrument you don't know how to play, just to kill time on a boring afternoon.
It's throwing back a few cold ones at work with a buddy, because there are no cameras in your refrigerator-equipped office.
Consequently, it's showing up to work still hazy from the top-secret drinking excursion.
It's mocking religion for no good reason.
It's staring at blank pages because you hate constantly using the backspace key.
Inspiration is researching discrete mathematics because you will do anything to avoid writing that 10-page journal critique.
It's listening to the same goddamn song over and over because of that one guitar riff.

Inspiration can come from anywhere. It can sneak up on you. So be ready. You'll never know what you can create.

The Ballad of Collin and Evie

this is what happens when you spend a cloudy morning listening to mark knopfler and sufjan stevens...

Collin McClellan met Evie O'Shea
At the boardwalk three years ago.
Enjoying the breeze, they talked for a while,
And walked for an hour or so.

Collin was a boy who'd give you his heart
If you gave him the time of the day.
Evie was quiet and sometimes quite cold.
But she smiled in a beautiful way.

And so it seemed that the lost were found.
She kissed him, his head went 'round.
Here together safe and sound.
Against all the winds of the world.
No more fiction or fairy tales.
Two new hearts that will never fail.
A sea of love their ship set sail.
Against all the waves of the world.

Needless to say, he was taken with her
When she smiled that smile for him.
She thought he was sweet and as he walked her home,
She rested her head under his chin.

He walked her to her door, made sure she was safe.
A gentleman, he knew it was right.
She lived across town, but he didn't care.
He was smiling for the rest of the night.

Day after day, they met up again.
Just glad to have each other around.
Ten months went past, the "I love yous" came.
And they moved in together downtown.

At a year and a half, they were both out of school,
Evie found the job of her dreams.
Collin he struggled to make money of his art.
He was falling apart at the seams.

But in the darkness the light is found.
She kisses him, his head goes 'round.
Here together safe and sound.
Against all the winds of the world.
They'll stand together, tooth and nail.
Lovers' hearts that will never fail.
A raging sea, their ship it sails.
Against all the waves of the world.

The times they were tough, and the money was tight.
And they both tried not to lose their heads.
But Evie worked hard, and it brought her down.
She cried every night in her bed.

Three years have passed since that first rendezvous,
And Evie doesn't know what's in store.
But Collin's got plans, with a ring in his hand.
But Evie isn't so sure anymore.

Collin takes Evie to the place where they met.
He's going to ask her tonight.
He's nervous as hell, and Evie is cold.
She shivers in the cold winter's light.

He places his coat over her shoulders.
But she just shrugs it away.
His coat drops to the ground, and his heart to his gut.
She's decided...not to stay.

And so it is, he's lost again.
A lover's journey come to an end.
She left him battered without a friend.
Against all the winds of the world.
And so he's lost what he thought he found.
She found another life uptown.
A trampled shell on the dusty ground.
Devoured by the whims of a girl.

Revamp.

So I'm officially off of Windows, finally. It couldn't have come at a better time. I'm now running Debian 5.0 (coincidentally codenamed "Lenny") with GNOME as the desktop environment and an extremely personalized user interface. I'm working with Corey for further customization.
Yesterday, I also increased my RAM by 5x, so I'm running a beast of a box over here.

This. Fucking. Pwns.